Unbroken Curses
by Metallicafangirl
Summary: Bill Weasley/Hermione. Bill offers to let her come work with him the summer before 7th year. Hermione accepts the offer, and comes with him.
1. Meeting

Alright, his is my first Hermione/Bill fic. I'm not even sure anyone else pairs her up with Bill, but I hope you will read it anyway. (BTW, I can't remember how old he is, could anyone tell me?)  
  
Disclaimer; Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, and no profit is intended to be made from this.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione washed her hands slowly, not really wanting to go back out again. She finished washing and stared in the mirror for a while. One of her Muggle friends had graduated, and her parents had decided to throw her a party at a hotel here in London. Hermione had been invited, and hadn't been able decline, no matter how much she'd wanted to. Over the years, she and Sarah and grown apart, and she no longer understood her.  
  
But she had gone to the party because she felt like she was neglecting her Muggle friends, and wanted to spend more time with them. She still had one year left at Hogwarts, and over the years, she had started to forget her friends from before Hogwarts, so she wanted to make it up to them.  
  
One year left at Hogwarts, and she still didn't know what she wanted to do after she finished school. She sighed, dried her hands and stepped out in the corridor, resolved to at least give the party a chance before she gave up. She turned a corner, and straight into someone, knocking the person over, as well as herself  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going, I didn't mean to knock you over, and it was an accident!" She started to apologize, even before she opened her eyes again.  
  
"Hey, hey slow down, slow down. It's alright." The person she'd knocked over assured her.  
  
Wait, she recognized that voice. She had heard it several times before. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into a face topped with long red hair, brilliant blue eyes and an easy grin. A face she'd seen before.  
  
"Bill?" She asked dumbfounded.  
  
"Hermione?" He asked, just as shocked as she was.  
  
And indeed, in front of her, sprawled on the floor, was Bill Weasley. He looked like he always had; long hair pulled up in a ponytail and one ear adorned with a fang. The only difference was that he was sprawled on the floor of a Muggle hotel, and not standing in the Weasley's backyard, knocking flying tables together, or sitting in the kitchen of number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.  
  
Bill chuckled and started to get up, pulling her up as well. She quickly straightened her T-shirt that had ended up rather bunched up, due to the collision.  
  
"What, not even a hello before you start interrogating me? I'm hurt." He said, running a hand through his ponytail.  
  
"I'm sorry, I was just -"She started to apologize again.  
  
"Whoa, slow down, you said that already. I was joking, Hermione." He said smiling now.  
  
"Right." She said, blushing.  
  
"That's alright. I'm just passing through actually. What're you doing here? I thought Ron said you lived down in some place called Kingsnorth." Bill asked.  
  
"I do, but one of my friends graduated, and her parents threw a party here. I was forced to go." She admitted, shrugging.  
  
"Forced? Sounds bad, that. Didn't want to go?"  
  
"Not really, but I've been neglecting my Muggle friends as of late, and I felt like I owed it to them." She explained.  
  
"Mind if I join?" Bill asked.  
  
"No, not at all, but I thought you said you were just passing through." She said, furrowing her brow.  
  
"I have to be in London tomorrow morning," He explained as they set off towards the lobby. "And since I've got my Apparation license already, I'll Apparate. I was going to go home just now, but since I haven't seen you in ages, I thought I'd keep you company, and catch up with what you've been doing these last, how many years?"  
  
"It must be two years since I saw you last." She admitted.  
  
"That long? Seems shorter, for some reason." He said.  
  
They entered the lobby, and were met by a group of people, dancing, talking and drinking, most of them looking rather uncomfortable, maybe because their parents had forced them to go. Hermione made her way over to one of the tables, which was the only one where there was room enough for two more. She sat down, and Bill took the chair next to her.  
  
"So, Hermie, what've you been up to?" He asked.  
  
"A lot of things I'll tell you all about in a moment, but I have to warn you; if you ever call me Hermie again, I'll rip your toenails out and force you to eat them." She threatened.  
  
"What's so bad about Hermie?" Bill asked innocently.  
  
"Because that's what Ron called me that all the time when he wanted me to do his homework. I refused, he got mad, and we got into a fight. I haven't spoken to him since. Thankfully, it was the last week before school ended, so I didn't have to avoid him forever." Hermione said with a scowl on her face.  
  
"How about ´Mione, then? You've got to have a nickname, you know. Everyone does." Bill suggested.  
  
"Alright, if you insist." She sighed. Then she leaned back in her chair and watched him with one eyebrow raised.  
  
"I gather you had a nickname too?" She asked.  
  
"Of course I do. Bill is my nickname, not my real one." He said, smiling.  
  
"Really now? That's interesting. Where'd you get it?"  
  
"School, of course." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and she was acting like a demented little girl.  
  
"Hermione, who's that?" Asked one of the girls at the table, pointing at Bill, apparently not caring that she was being rude.  
  
"Bill Weasley." She introduced him, but otherwise ignored her.  
  
"Hey, Bill, come to think of it; what are you doing in England?" She asked, turning back to him.  
  
"Business. They're relocating me." He shrugged.  
  
"Why? Ran out of work?" She raised an eyebrow again.  
  
"No, they thought I needed a change of scenery. Of course, that could have been because I would only write my report in hieroglyphs." He said, winking at her.  
  
"No, you didn't!" She exclaimed, laughing.  
  
"Why shouldn't I? That's what I spend most of my time reading, after all."  
  
"You know, seeing as you're related to Fred and George, I shouldn't be surprised."  
  
"Was that an insult?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
"Ouch, let's change subject before you start chewing on me. Do you have any plans on what you want to do after school?" He asked, suppressing a chuckle.  
  
"Well, not really. I told McGonagall that I wanted to go on to university and maybe become a teacher or something like it afterwards, but that was nearly two years ago, and I'm not so sure anymore."  
  
Bill looked thoughtful for a moment, and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. In the laps in conversation, she could hear the music from the far end of the room, currently playing some sort of rap song.  
  
"You know, if you want, I could get you a job at the bank. Just this summer, so you can try it out." He ventured after a while. "You could work with me, if you'd like. God knows Mum will kill me if I suggest anything else." He finished, grinning.  
  
"Really? You mean that?" She asked excitedly. "Work with you?"  
  
"Sure, why wouldn't I mean it? It's only fair that someone with your intelligence should get as many chances as she could to make up her mind about what she wants to do, so that she doesn't end up buried under a heap of books in some dusty library somewhere." Bill shrugged.  
  
"What a Weasley way to give a compliment." Hermione remarked.  
  
"´Weasley way´?" Bill asked.  
  
"Yes, Weasley's seem to have their very own way of giving compliments, although they're generally worse than that. Ron always manages to insult me as well as compliment me whenever he tries. Of course, that could just be Ron." She explained.  
  
"Of course it's just Ron! How you could ever confuse me with that skinny excuse for a brother of mine, I'll never know!" Bill sniffed pompously, resembling Percy so much that Hermione had to laugh.  
  
"Skinny? Bill, you're skinny too." She pointed out.  
  
"What? I am horizontally challenged, thank you very much. And I do not think of myself in such degrading terms as ´skinny´. ´Narrow´ or ´raw boned´ is better." Bill stated, Percy-like.  
  
"Whatever. So, I can come with you this summer?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what I said."  
  
"Alright! But I've got ask my parents first." She said, swallowing some of her excitement.  
  
"I'll write you a letter with the details, and I could write them one as well. Deal?" Bill offered.  
  
"Sure!" Hermione said, and they shook hands on it, and laughed a bit.  
  
Bill was just about to say something more when he caught sight of the clock on the opposite wall.  
  
"Bloody hell, ´Mione, I've got to go, or I won't get any sleep before I have to go to work tomorrow." He said.  
  
"Oh, alright. See you soon then?"  
  
"Yeah, see you." He said, ruffled her already frizzy hair and disappeared out the door; ponytail swishing as he nearly ran out.  
  
Hermione turned back to her Muggle friends, only to find them staring at her. She looked at each of them in turn, expecting them to say something, but giving up soon.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"Hermione, where the hell did you meet that guy? He was like totally cool!" Sarah exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah! Like that thing in his ear! Wicked!" Said Tanya, Sarah's best friend.  
  
Hermione sat back and sighed. Her friends could be so strange some times. And unfortunately, Tanya was sounding strangely like Ron at the moment. She and Ron had had a huge fight, and she'd said some things she didn't really mean, but so had he, and now they weren't talking, only communicating through Harry. He had asked her numerous times to come and stay at the Burrow, but she'd refused, on the grounds that Ron wouldn't talk to her anyway.  
  
****'  
  
Hermione got home later, said goodnight to her parents and got to bed; she could tell them about Bill's offer in the morning. Today had been an eventful day, she reflected. It had been two years since she'd last seen Bill, and she had never known him very well, for all that he was a Weasley. As he was the eldest of the siblings, she had never gone to school with him, and had only seen him at the summer stays at the Burrow. She remembered him as a cheerful guy who got in frequent arguments with his mother about his hair, and who had held bets on which of the Twins would botch their latest experiment.  
  
She rolled over and stared out the window. They had never even talked that much. She knew he was a good guy, and she was friends with all the Weasley's, but spending the summer with Bill would be an interesting experience. She had heard from Ron that he'd been Head Boy at Hogwarts, and she had a creeping suspicion she'd be Head Girl, at least if McGonagall had something to say about it, so she would have a lot of questions to ask him.  
  
She had always been curious about what exactly his job entailed. Being a Curse Breaker in Egypt, he seemed to get into a lot of interesting situations, and as most of the curses placed on magical objects were very old, they required a lot of research to break. And as research was Hermione's forte, she knew she would be spending this summer at least part- time happily buried in a stack of books.  
  
And she would get to know Bill better, which would be fun. Smiling to herself, she turned over again and fell asleep.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes: Well, what do you think? I believe I could do the long conversation scene a bit better, but I read through it three times, and I didn't know exactly where to change it. Tell me what you think about my story, please. Flames will be fed to the Salamander liberated by Fred and George from Care of Magical Creatures in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which later escaped though the chimney. 


	2. Leaving Home

Wow, I got reviews. I never expected I'd get any, since this is one of the lesser known couples.  
  
I have set Bill's age to be twenty-six. Hope that's alright with you.  
  
******'  
  
The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling happier than she had in days. Today she was going to tell her parents about Bill's offer. She got dressed and practically skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, where her mother was making breakfast and her father was reading the Daily Prophet. Her parents wanted to keep up with the wizarding world as well as their own, so she had lent them her copies of the newspaper. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek, hugged her mother and sat down at the table.  
  
"Mum, Dad?" She said.  
  
"Yes, honey?" Her father said.  
  
"I met a friend of mine last night, and he offered me to go with him over summer to work for the same bank he works for. Can I?" She asked.  
  
Her mother turned around and looked at her, while her father put down his newspaper on the table.  
  
"Do we know this boy?" He asked.  
  
"Well, he's Ron's older brother. His name is Bill." Hermione explained.  
  
She knew they trusted Ron as well as Harry, and they were bound to at least give a brother of Ron a chance.  
  
"Where will you be going?" Her mother wanted to know.  
  
"I'm not sure; he said he'd owl me the details." Hermione admitted.  
  
"But you do know what you'll be doing, right?" Her father asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes; I'll help him do research for breaking curses. He works for Gringotts, and used to be down in Egypt. They have lot of old tombs and pyramids to hide treasures in there, you know, with all the Pharaohs and such. Anyway, I really, really want to go - can I?" She asked hopefully.  
  
Her parents smiled; she was always eager to learn new things, and she adored research above all else.  
  
"Of course you can, honey; we trust you not to do anything stupid. You're much too mature for that." Her mother assured her before her father could protest that she was much too young to go anywhere.  
  
"Thank you!" Hermione exclaimed, gave both of them a hug and ran up the stairs again to write to Bill.  
  
She sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. After thinking a bit, she began to write.  
  
*****'  
  
When she was done, she put down her quill again, and inspected her writing.  
  
Bill  
  
I have asked my parents, and they said I could go. They were a bit hesitant at first, but when I told them you were a brother of Ron's, they agreed. For some reason, they believe that if you're his brother, they can trust you. Don't ask me where they got that ridiculous notion, since Ron isn't the most trustworthy person I know.  
  
But I am rambling. I just wanted to tell you they'd agreed to let me go.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Hermione.  
  
Well, that looked about right. She got up and walked over to the birdcage in the corner. Inside was her owl Hettar, which her parents had bought for her last Christmas. She gave him the letter, and opened the window.  
  
"Take this to Bill Weasley." She ordered.  
  
The owl obeyed and flew out the window. Hermione watched him go, and then shut the window again and went back to her school work.  
  
******'  
  
She didn't even have to wait two hours before Hettar returned with a reply from Bill. She had just finished her Charms essay when the grey owl came back. She stood up and opened the window again, letting him in. She relieved him of the letter he was carrying, and after giving him and Owl Treat, she sat down to read.  
  
(Dear) Hermione  
  
I never write letters to anyone but Mum, so I was a bit unsure of how to start it, hope you're not offended.  
  
I'm glad your parents allowed you to go; it'll be nice to have some company this summer. Besides, two minds are better than one, eh? Heck, with you there, I won't need to think. But I am rambling. Seems we both suffer from that, don't we?  
  
Anyway, I promised to owl you the details, so here they are.  
  
We won't be staying in England. We're going to Rome, Italy, because the Curse Breaker there has been forced to leave due to family emergencies. Apparently, they've found some old treasure chest in the cellars of a university, and can't break the curse on it themselves. Amateurs.  
  
We'll be travelling the Muggle way, because you haven't got your Apparating license yet, and I don't feel comfortable Apparating over such a big distance with you. We'd be splinched. I'll come pick you up in two days, around noon. We'll go by airplane, if that's what it's called. I've never seen one, but it pays off to have a Muggle obsessed father.  
  
I haven't got all the details of exactly what curse is placed on the chest, or where we'll be staying, I'll get those tomorrow, but hopefully, you now have some more information to placate your parents. If they're anything like Mum and Dad, you'll need it.  
  
Oh, about that; I wrote to Mum and told her I'd be going to Italy with an apprentice, (I can't find another word to describe your position) and she was delighted. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to mention that it was you, and then I didn't have time. I don't usually keep secrets from her, but it just happened this time. If she ever asks, she's in for a surprise, and I'm not saying no to that. Been long since I had a good laugh at her expense.  
  
But I'm not writing to mock my mother. I would have asked if you'd written to Ron, but seeing as you told me you'd had a fight and weren't talking anymore, that would be a rather stupid question. Have you written to Harry? It doesn't really matter; I'm just making conversation. Which is probably stupid, since this is a letter. Look, now I'm rambling again! I'll stop now.  
  
Hope this letter finds you in good health. See you in two days.  
  
Sincerely  
  
Bill.  
  
She smiled. They were indeed alike in the matter of rambling on about nothing in particular, until someone strangled them to shut them up. She put down the letter, and walked out the door and down the stairs again. She had to tell her parents about this; Bill had been right about giving them more information.  
  
*****'  
  
The two days crawled by so slowly it made Hermione want to rip her hair out. Her parents kept asking whether she had packed and whether or not she knew when or how she would be picked up, driving her crazy, slowly but surely.  
  
The second day of waiting dawned, and Hermione rose early to start packing. She got around the problem of not being allowed to use magic over the holidays by packing only the most important things, such as clothes, a few books and her CD-walkman. She stuffed a few of her favourite CD's in the bag as well, and just managed to close it afterwards.  
  
When she was done packing, she at down and explained to Crookshanks that she would be gone over the summer. This would have been considered insane, had it been anyone else, but Hermione was convinced that he understood what she was saying. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but either way, she explained it to him, I nothing else then to make time pass a little faster.  
  
After explaining to her cat, she wore a hole in the living room carpet with her pacing. She had never been more nervous in her whole life. No, scratch that, the only other time she had been this nervous was the first time she took the train from platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts. But this was a good second. She didn't really know why she nervous either. Bill was a Weasley, and therefore nice by default, but maybe it was because no matter how much of a Weasley he was, she didn't know him personally. At least not that good.  
  
She managed to sit down long enough to eat lunch, but was up and pacing in a matter of minutes. Her parents were growing tired of her constant pacing when someone rang the doorbell, and she jumped and ran out in the hall. She opened the door before the doorbell stopped ringing, and came face to face with Bill, who was grinning, probably at how fast she'd answered the door.  
  
"Hello, ´Mione, ready to go?" He asked.  
  
"You bet!" She grinned. "I just have to get my bag, and we're can leave."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Why don't you come in and sit down? It'll only be a moment, but I fear my cat will latch himself onto my leg to keep me from going." She offered.  
  
"Yeah, he was rather vicious, wasn't he?" Bill smiled and entered after her.  
  
She showed him to the kitchen, where her parents were sitting, still finishing lunch, and gestured to one of the chairs.  
  
"Have a seat and make yourself at home. Mum, Dad, this is Bill." She introduced them quickly.  
  
Her parents stared at Bill as if they'd seen a ghost, and he smiled nervously back, and sat down on the offered chair.  
  
"Hello." He said. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Hello, Bill, was it?" Her mother said, getting over her shock faster than her father.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So, Hermione tells us you're a brother of her friend Ron?" Her mother continued, trying to make conversation.  
  
Hermione smiled and left them to it. She knew that in a few minutes, Bill and her parents would be talking like they'd known each other forever. Bill had a way of making people trust him without even thinking about it.  
  
She raced up the stair and quickly found her bag, petted Crookshanks, and surprisingly managed to get away without too many scratches. She dragged her trunk down the stair and to the kitchen, where Bill was now explaining to her parents what he'd done in Egypt. She knocked him on the shoulder, to remind him that they had to leave.  
  
"Oh, right. We should be going. It was nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Granger. And don't worry; I'll take care of your daughter." He smiled, and followed Hermione to he door.  
  
"Bye, Mum, bye Dad." Hermione called, and walked out the door.  
  
The door slammed shut, and her parents looked at each other helplessly.  
  
"I can't help but be worried about her; no matter how nice Bill is, accidents happen." Her mother said.  
  
Her father could do nothing but agree.  
  
****'  
  
As soon as they out the door, Bill took hold of her trunk and took out his wand. A quick spell later, it was light as a feather. She took it back again, and gripped it tightly to prevent it from floating away.  
  
"How do we get to the airport?" She asked.  
  
"Well, we Apparate." Bill answered.  
  
"Where from? We can't exactly do it on my front lawn, you know; this is a Muggle neighbourhood." She reminded him.  
  
"Come on, then." He said, holding out his hand.  
  
She took it, and they walked away from her house. Soon, they reached a hill, surrounded by trees. After a short climb, they were at the top of it. Hermione looked around, smiling to herself.  
  
"Something funny?" Bill asked, seeing her smile.  
  
"No, this hill just reminds me of the time when we went by Portkey to the Quidditch Wold Cup." She explained.  
  
"Yeah, but that was Stoatshead Hill. Now come on, we have to leave unless we want to miss our flight." He said.  
  
She stepped closer, and since she'd never Apparated before, she was a bit unsure of what to do. Bill wrapped his arms around her, making her start and stare at him.  
  
"Don't worry ´Mione; I've tandem-Apparated before. There's nothing to worry about." He assured her.  
  
She nodded, and a second later, the world around her twisted madly, and she felt herself falling, the only solid thing to hold onto being Bill. 


	3. Fiddler's Fair

And here we go again. I'm surprised I even got reviews on this story. I've got to warn you though, most of the chapter was written under the influence of Aerosmith.  
  
*********'  
  
Hermione held on tightly, willing the world to stop spinning. She felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her, and she was falling freely. It almost made her nauseous. When the scenery finally stopped moving, and she ground was steady again, she let go, and much to her surprise, she found herself standing outside the airport.  
  
This was surprising since it was a Muggle airport, therefore filled with Muggles, thus making it impossible to Apparate in without being seen. Or so she had thought. She was just about to ask about it, when she realized they were standing very close together. Blushing, she let go quickly.  
  
Bill didn't seem to notice, however; he was looking around for something. Suddenly, he apparently spotted it. He grabbed her hand and dragged her after him. She could do nothing but try to keep on her feet while clutching her trunk desperately. Bill dodged several Muggles while she did her best to keep up with him, not that she had any choice in the matter, unless she wanted her hand ripped off by accident.  
  
When he finally stopped again, they were standing close to what she assumed was the gate they were leaving from. She steadied herself and stood up straight. Bill was still holding on to her hand, and she saw no reason to let go, since he was the one who knew where they were going.  
  
"There you are, Mr Crossley. Nice to meet you again. This is my assistant, Hermione Granger." Bill said, smiling at a short brown-haired man, apparently named Crossley.  
  
"Pleasure. Here's the tickets." Crossley mumbled and handed him two tickets.  
  
He looked like he'd rather be somewhere else, preferably the Leaky Cauldron, drinking Fire-Whiskey, than here at a Muggle airport, handing tickets to them. He seemed to have a perpetually displeased expression on his face.  
  
"Thank you, Mr Crossley." Bill said brightly, and dragged Hermione along with him away from there.  
  
"I can't stand that man." He muttered when they were out of earshot.  
  
"What?" She asked, surprised. "But you didn't act like it."  
  
"Of course not. Crossley enjoys making everyone's life a living hell, just because he can. He takes himself overly seriously, believing that he is right about everything he talks about, no matter what, and that everyone else are idiots that should grovel at his feet. He likes to think of himself as my superior, but he isn't. I can't stand it, and the best way to annoy him is treating him like you're enormously happy all the time, and ignore his remarks about how gloomy everything is. It works rather well, if I do say so myself." He finished his explanation.  
  
"Bill, you're unbelievable." She stated, shaking her head.  
  
"Of course I'm unbelievable; I'm Bill Weasley, after all." He grinned.  
  
*****'  
  
Half an hour later, they were sitting in their seat on the plane, waiting for it to take off. The ride would take a few hours, and Hermione had pulled out a book and started reading. Bill was having a hard time with his long legs, but he managed to sit somewhat comfortably. He glanced over at her, and smiled amusedly when he saw she was reading.  
  
"What're you reading?" He asked.  
  
She looked up, startled, for she had been very deep into her book.  
  
"Oh, it's called Exile's Honour. It's a fantasy novel, written by an author I found over the last summer." She explained.  
  
"Oh. Any good?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, yes, definitely." She said.  
  
After a short explanation of what ´fantasy-novel´ meant, she went back to her book. Bill pulled out a newspaper he had picked up earlier and began to read too. Silence descended between them, and even though Hermione had a lot of questions, she knew better than to ask them in the presence of Muggles.  
  
******'  
  
Hermione stretched her back. She had fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and had developed a horrible crick in her neck. Bill had woken her up just before they landed, and now she was standing with him just outside the airport, while he was staring at a map of Rome, trying to figure out the fastest way to get to their destination.  
  
"Ah, there it is! Come on, I know where we're going now." Bill said, smiling broadly.  
  
"You mean you didn't before?" She teased.  
  
"You mean you thought I did?" He shot back, winking.  
  
She laughed. She was rapidly becoming more comfortable in Bill's company, and the same could be said for him. When he'd picked her up at her house, he had been rather formal, overlooking his use of her nickname, but now, he seemed to throw a joke at her at every turn.  
  
They started walking towards where the magical part of Rome was, according to Bill's map. He explained how it would be like as they walked.  
  
"Here in Rome, the magical area of the city has been divided into several districts. Most of the native wizards live among the Muggle community, which makes the Italian Ministry of Magic's work a lot harder, but those who refuse to live near Muggles live in the Italian district in the magical areas."  
  
"´Italian district´?" She asked, puzzled.  
  
"Yeah. The magical area is divided into districts according to which country the inhabitants come from. There's a French one, a German one, a Spanish one, and of course, an English one. There are a few wizards who live in districts where wizards from other countries live, of course, it's not like it can be avoided, but most choose to live with their fellow countrymen. We'll be staying in the English district, of course."  
  
"Of course. How come it's divided like this?" Hermione asked her curiosity peaked.  
  
"Don't know, actually. Maybe we can find out before we leave." He shrugged. "So anyway, each district has its own name, in the inhabitant's language. The English one is called Fiddler's Fair." He continued his explanation.  
  
They had now reached a broad street with a small alley on the right side of it. All the Muggles seemed to be oblivious of the alley, judging by the way their eyes passed right over it without stopping.  
  
The alley was narrow and crooked, the brick walls on both sides of it leaning dangerously into each other. It didn't look much different from any other alley she'd ever seen, but the robed people that passed on the other side of it sent off a warning bell in her head.  
  
"Fiddler's Fair is thankfully the district closest to the Muggle neighbourhood, so we won't have to walk very far when we're leaving. The foreign wizards seem to have a problem with Muggles that English wizards simply don't have." Bill remarked.  
  
"Malfoy has a problem with Muggles." She pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but Malfoy's are originally from France. I read it somewhere." He explained quickly when he saw her expression.  
  
She would ask where he'd read that, but just then they passed through into Fiddler's Fair, and whatever thoughts she'd had before was effectively wiped from her mind. Diagon Alley had been breathtaking the first time, but Fiddler's Fair was mind-blowing. Everywhere she looked; there was something that caught her eye, making her look twice, or simply gape.  
  
Robe shops, apothecaries and book stores shared the space with stores that would have made Hagrid gasp in awe of all the magical creatures that fought for attention in the windows. At the end of the street was a wand-shop, much like the one Ollivander had in Diagon Alley, and at the other end was a tavern, resembling the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade.  
  
She could have spent the whole day standing there, just gaping at the various stores and drooling, if Bill hadn't caught her hand and pulled her towards a building the left of them, chuckling at her expression.  
  
"This is Fiddler Street; we just came through Peddler's Alley." He explained.  
  
"How come the district's named Fiddler's Fair anyway?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Oh, there was this English wizard called Joshua Fiddler, who lived here a few hundred years ago, and he held this annual market. Over the years, it became know as Fiddler's Fair, and soon, people began to refer to the whole district by that name. That's why there are street names here like Cattledrive Road and Merchant's Quarter." He explained, gesturing to the various streets and alleys around them.  
  
"Oh." Was all she could reply with.  
  
"There it is!" Bill exclaimed, pointing to an Inn in front of them.  
  
Over the door was a large sign that proclaimed to the world that this was the ´Swan and Dragon´. They entered, Hermione still dragging her trunk behind her. She wondered where Bill had his baggage, but had no time to ask.  
  
****'  
  
It took a few moments before her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, but after a while, she could see the interior clearly. There were a few tables grouped in front of a fireplace, which was burning despite the warmth outside, and at the back of the room was reception that doubled as a bar. Behind it stood an old man who resembled Tom of the Leaky Cauldron too much for it to be mere chance. But then again, most barkeeps of the world resembled Tom to some degree.  
  
Bill dragged her towards the bar, and smiled at the old man. Hermione stood up straight again, and made sure she still had all her body parts in the right place.  
  
"Hello, we should have a room booked, in the name William Weasley." Bill told the man.  
  
The man nodded and started looking through a thick book in front of him that apparently held the room-bookings. Hermione looked at Bill with one eyebrow raised. So his real name was William, then. That was an interesting revelation. Of course she had known that his name wasn't Bill, long before he told her it was just a nickname, but she hadn't even guessed at his real name before now.  
  
"Yes, yes, you are right here. Peter here will take you upstairs." The old man said and gestured to a young boy behind the counter.  
  
Hermione smiled at the boy, albeit a bit forced. It wasn't his fault; it was just that she was uneasy in the company of anyone named Peter, because they reminded her of Peter Pettigrew. Voldemort had been defeated the year previous, and during the last battle, she had been faced with Peter Pettigrew. He had been the most unpleasant, most disgusting person she knew of, second only to Voldemort. Not even Lucius Malfoy reached his level of unpleasantness.  
  
Bill smiled and shook hands with the boy. Hermione didn't, not only because of his name, but because she was interrupted by a huge yawn. She put her hand over her mouth and blushed a bit, but Bill only smiled and relieved her of her trunk and followed Peter up the stairs. Hermione shook her head and followed suit.  
  
Both of them were exhausted after the flight, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. The excitement of seeing Fiddler' Fair in all its glory had evaporated as soon as they stepped into the Swan and Dragon, leaving her close to sleep-walking.  
  
Peter led them to the end of the hallways and gave them the key to the door. He expressed his gratitude for them staying at this particular Inn, which sounded fake through and through, and left them alone again. Bill unlocked the door and they walked inside.  
  
"I booked two adjoining rooms for us, with one room in between. Being a Gringotts employee does have some advantages." He grinned.  
  
His grin faded quickly though, when he saw the room they'd gotten. There were two adjoining rooms alright, but only one bedroom. He stared at it for a moment before turning to Hermione.  
  
"They seem to have gotten the bookings mixed up." He told her. "I would get angry and go shout at them, but I'm just too tired right now, and besides, there are two beds in the bedroom instead of one, so we're not really in an emergency."  
  
"Oh. That's alright, then." Hermione mumbled, too tired to really pay attention.  
  
Bill chuckled at her, despite the situation. He put down her trunk on the floor and looked around.  
  
"Well, we better get some sleep now. We can start working tomorrow, since you're too tired to see straight right now." He declared.  
  
Hermione could only nod. She set off towards the bathroom that came with the rooms and brushed her teeth before heading to the bedroom. Being the daughter of two dentists, the habit of brushing her teeth before going to bed was too powerful to ignore.  
  
She collapsed on one of the beds, and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She was dead to the world and therefore didn't notice Bill smiling at her from the doorway, and throwing a blanket over her before heading to his own bed.  
  
****'  
  
Ending Notes: The book Hermione reads in this chapter, Exile's Honour, is by a writer named Mercedes Lackey. It's really good, you should read it some time. Hopefully, this chapter was good enough. I'm rather pleased with it. Please read and review. 


	4. The Borealis Curse

Here's a bit of advice that might come in handy; never write fanfiction while under the influence of insane humour. It makes for out-of-nowhere demented comments.  
  
I'm thinking about doing the chapters about one day each. Every chapter is one day, get it? Hopefully, my chapter will get longer too. To anyone who might be interested; I got the name Fiddler's Fair from another one of Mercedes Lackey's books. I have no life.  
  
****'  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of someone singing. Loudly. It wasn't bad singing, as such, but the fact that she had been asleep until it woke her up made her a little put out. Without lifting her head from the bed, she flung her pillow in the direction of the sound, grumbling incoherently to herself. Satisfied that she had done something about it, she pulled the blanket further over her head and went back to sleep.  
  
Yeah right.  
  
She had just shut her eyes again when the blanket was pulled away, and she was met by the cheerful face of Bill Weasley, looking indecently awake and happy. Hermione positively growled, and tried to grab the blanket back again, in vain.  
  
"Good morning, ´Mione!" He practically chirped.  
  
"Oh, shut up, you!" She growled back.  
  
"Don't you like my singing? I'm hurt!" He grinned.  
  
"The only thing wrong with your singing is that it seems to jump at unsuspecting victims at indecently early hours in the morning." She grumbled, but sat up, which enabled her to glare at him.  
  
"´Mione, it's half past nine." He remarked.  
  
"See what I mean?"  
  
"Not a morning person, I take it?" Bill grinned.  
  
"No, you think?" She shot back sarcastically.  
  
"Come on you; we're going to eat breakfast, and then we're going to start working." He said and dragged her out of her bed.  
  
"Bill, you are evil, did you know that?" She complained as she was dragged out the door.  
  
Thankfully, she had fallen asleep with her clothes on, or it would have been severely embarrassing. As it was, it was severely uncomfortable.  
  
"Of course, ´Mione! I thought you knew." He let out an evil laugh, which made him sound insane.  
  
"If I had known you were in need of a straightjacket Bill, I would have brought one." She muttered, still a bit put off about getting dragged out of bed.  
  
****'  
  
It was like this they entered the serving room. Thankfully, the Swan and Dragon was never a very crowded place, even at the best of times, so they were alone with the exception of the barman. Bill placed her at one of the tables and put a bowl of porridge in front of her. She bared her teeth at him, but ate it anyway.  
  
Bill sat down across from her and started on his own bowl. He attacked it with his spoon so viciously that Hermione expected that at any moment it would get up and walk away. She didn't waste much time on that contemplation, since she had a hard time trying to keep from dropping head first in her porridge.  
  
"So, today we will go to the university. We'll check out exactly what we will have to do, and then we will try to find out which type of curse it is. Once we know that, we can start finding a way to break it." He explained after having swallowed the last mouthful  
  
"Slave driver."  
  
"You bet!"  
  
Hermione sighed heavily, and stood up to follow him. Apparently, she wouldn't get a chance to change her clothes even, before setting off to work. Bill was certainly serious about his job, alright.  
  
Out in the street, people turned and stared at her, and she scowled at them as she trailed behind Bill. She knew she looked bad after waking up, what with bed hair and everything, but that was no reason to stare. Then she realized that she was still wearing Muggle clothing. Muggle clothing meaning a shirt that stated ´Insanity runs in my family...It practically gallops!´ and a pair of jeans, said shirt having made Bill laugh quite a bit.  
  
"Next time, Bill, can you please let me change clothes first?" She asked helplessly.  
  
"Whatever for, ´Mione? I see no reason to change, with such a fabulous shirt!"  
  
"You plan these things in the middle of the night, laughing like a maniac, don't you?" She accused.  
  
"Why, certainly!" He replied, winking at her.  
  
He burst out laughing, causing several wizards to stare at him, when she stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
****'  
  
They reached the university a few minutes later, and after Bill showed the librarian the Ministry papers, they were showed to the treasure chest. The librarian threw a few curious glances at Hermione, who scowled at her viciously, a skill she'd learned from six years of classes with Professor Snape.  
  
The treasure chest was not what she had expected. Instead of the elaborately carved chest, the kind from fairytales, it was just a simple box made of old blackened wood, with a bird-like figure carved on the lid.  
  
Bill wasted no time in walking up to it, and crouching down, he inspected it closely. Now, when performing his job, he seemed to slip into an extremely professional mode. Gone were all the jokes and easy grins. There instead of them were a serious expression and a piercing gaze. Hermione found herself wondering if this was what he was like as a Head Boy at Hogwarts.  
  
She crouched down next to him, and without looking away from the chest, he turned his head towards her.  
  
"See, this is a very unusual case. Most cursed and warded treasure chests are the kind you expect to find in a fairytale castle. This definitely doesn't fit that category." He said in a low voice. "I've only ever seen one other treasure chest like this, and that was in a bookshop-cellar in Cairo. It came from Arabia, originally. Come to think of it, it had the exact same design on the lid."  
  
"What was the curse placed on that chest? Maybe it's the same on this one." Hermione asked.  
  
"Good thinking, but I don't think that's the case. It had a very complicated Borealis Curse on it, which is extremely hard to perform. Very few wizards can do it." Bill told her.  
  
"Borealis? Like in Aurora Borealis? The Northern Lights?" She asked, interested.  
  
"Yes, exactly. The curse was invented by a wizard living in Sweden, up close to the North Pole. I've never seen it performed, but Flitwick said that if anyone tried to open something protected by the curse, a light beam, resembling the Northern Lights, would shoot out from the object and cause considerable damage."  
  
"You said that chest had the same design on the lid as this one. Could it be that it was made by the same wizard?"  
  
"Well, could be. And judging from the phoenix on the lid, I'd say he was Arabian." Bill said, gesturing to the carvings.  
  
"That narrows the field a bit. How'd you know he was Arabian?"  
  
"There's a legend over in Arabia involving the Phoenix rising from its ashes. You know the drill. But the wizards over there believe that if they put a likeness of the Phoenix on theirs doors, or in this case, treasure chests, they will be protected from evil forces."  
  
"Hmm. Where does that leave us?"  
  
"Well, we know that the wizard who placed the spell on this was probably Arabian."  
  
"It could be a witch too, you know."  
  
"Could be, but I'm not so sure. Not many witches from over there that has been powerful enough to pull the Borealis Curse off. Besides, if it is the same wizard, I know it can't be a witch. The other chest was well over a hundred years old, and there hasn't been a witch in Arabia in the last two hundred years that has been powerful enough."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"It's part of my job. So, we've decided that it was probably an Arabian wizard, from somewhere between a hundred and two-hundred years ago who put the curse on it, and that it was probably the Borealis Curse, even though it's damn complicated. All we have to do now is find out which wizard it was, and how to break the curse."  
  
"But didn't you say you've seen it before?" Hermione asked, puzzled.  
  
Bill stood up again and shrugged. He reached down a hand and pulled her up as well, and dusted off his trousers.  
  
"I have, but I didn't so the breaking. I was just an apprentice, just like you are now, and my teacher wasn't willing to trust me enough to let me do any research on it." He explained.  
  
"But I thought you were his apprentice; shouldn't he let you do research? You were going to be a full Curse Breaker too one day, right?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess he wasn't a very trusting man, that's all, or he didn't think I was capable of handling the Borealis Curse yet." Bill shrugged again. "Now, let's get something to eat; I'm starving." He declared.  
  
"Bill, we ate breakfast not more than an hour ago."  
  
"Exactly what I mean!" He said and walked out the door, forcing her to follow him if she wanted to know any more about the curse.  
  
The information she had received over the last few minutes was a lot more interesting than six years worth of Charms lessons, and she wasn't about to let the chance to learn more slip out of her grasp, just because she was too slow to catch up.  
  
****'  
  
Bill put down his fork again with a satisfied smile on his face. Hermione leaned back in her chair and watched him amusedly. It wasn't every day that you see someone devour a pizza big enough to last a normal family in a matter of minutes. They had left the university and walked down the street, finding a restaurant to eat in, and while Bill had taken a pizza, Hermione had opted for a salad.  
  
"So. How do we find out how to break the curse?"  
  
"Well, the university has a damn good library, but there are a few other places we could go. However, the library is a good place to start this time." Bill said.  
  
"Oh, Bill, you have much to learn I hear; the library is always a good place to start." She mocked.  
  
"I knew you'd say that. Now, let's leave the curses for a moment; pay close attention ´Mione, because this will be one of the few times we will talk about anything else than the curse. What're you planning to specialize on in Seventh year?"  
  
"I don't really know; it depends on what I want to do after Hogwarts. If I choose to go to university, I could choose whichever subject I want to, but right now, Curse Breaking is starting to look appealing, and I don't know what subjects I have to choose to qualify for that job." She confessed.  
  
"You're seriously considering becoming a Curse Breaker? You've got what it takes, alright." Bill said, looking surprised. "As for which subjects you should take, I'm not sure. Well, there's one you have to take, and that's Charms. Other than that, Arithmancy, and no matter how boring it is, History of Magic, are always useful."  
  
She rolled her eyes at the last comment; Professor Binns, the History of Magic teacher, was a ghost, and as interesting to listen to as a dead badger. The most exciting part of the lesson was when he floated in through the black board at the beginning of it.  
  
"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady!" Bill snapped, causing several mothers to turn their heads to see where the child was, "History of Magic is very useful when dealing with old curses or treasures."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but Binns is just so damn boring. Even I fall asleep in his lessons, and that's saying something." She shot back, grinning.  
  
"Oh, little miss teacher's pet falling a sleep in lessons? I never thought I'd see the day." Bill grinned, taking the edge off his words.  
  
"Oh, shut up, you! Let's get back to work, or we'll never be done." She snapped.  
  
*****'  
  
Back in the library, Bill informed the librarian that they needed to look at the books, which said librarian hesitantly agreed to. Thankfully, the university library was organized in the system subject-writer-title, which made them easier to find.  
  
"´Mione, you go find anything you can on powerful Arabian wizards over the last two hundred years. I'll be over here, looking for the Borealis Curse. Alright?" Bill ordered.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"If you haven't found anything in two hours, meet up with me over by that table, and we'll find some other way to get information." He pointed to a table in the middle of the room.  
  
"Yes, sir!" She ripped of a mock-salute before heading towards the History section.  
  
She browsed the shelves, looking for what she'd been asked to, but at the same time seeing what other books the university held. To her disappointment, she reached the end of the History section, without having found one book even remotely connected to Arabian wizards.  
  
She rounded the shelf, and ran straight into a young boy, about her age, dressed in what must be the university uniform. She nearly fell, as did he, but they managed to regain their footing after the initial shock.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going, and I really didn't mean to run into you." She apologized.  
  
"That's alright. Hey, I haven't seen you here before, are you new?" The boy asked.  
  
She had a sarcastic remark at the tip of her tongue, which she more than likely would have thrown at him, had it not been for the fact that he wasn't Bill, and wouldn't laugh at such a comment.  
  
"I'm just visiting." She smiled.  
  
"Where from?"  
  
"Oh, England. Say, I'm looking for a book on Arabian wizards, do you know if they have any here?" She asked.  
  
"Wouldn't know; I'm not into Arabian wizards. England, you say? Why are you visiting?"  
  
"I have summer break, and I'm here with a friend." She explained.  
  
She didn't really want to go into detail about why she was there, so she hoped he would accept that explanation.  
  
"A friend, eh? Good-looking?" He asked, immediately interested.  
  
She had to exercise extreme self-control not to gape at him. He was judging someone he'd never met, purely on the basis of how good the person looked. Not even Harry and Ron were that fixated by good looks.  
  
"I never really looked at him, so I wouldn't know." She said, smile getting a bit strained.  
  
That seemed to do the trick; the boy gaped at her, but quickly recovered.  
  
"So, anyway, my name's Robert. What's yours?"  
  
"Hermione." She answered. "You know, I really have to get back to my friend, if you'd excuse me?" She continued, wanting to be out of his company as quickly as possible.  
  
"Oh, I'll walk you there of course." Robert replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
Hermione's expression darkened, but she could do nothing to stop him, so she just turned and headed back to the Charm's section, where she knew Bill would be. Robert trailed beside her, chattering about nothing, just like she and Bill had done, but in such a way that it made her annoyed.  
  
Bill had expected her to talk just as much as he did, and he had known she'd contradict him, and sometimes make jokes, but Robert acted as if she was some kind of brainless airhead who couldn't do anything else than gaze adoringly at him, and agree with whatever he said.  
  
They found Bill sitting at a table, nose deep in a heavy book, which on closer inspection turned out to be bound with dragon skin. She walked up to him and plopped down in a chair beside him, and to her great irritation, Robert still didn't leave.  
  
"Hey, Bill, find anything?" She asked, interrupting Robert's tirade in mid- sentence.  
  
"Not really, but I found another possibility. It doesn't have to be Borealis, you know." He said, glancing up from his book. "Find anything yourself?"  
  
"No. It turns out this library has no books whatsoever on Arabian History, powerful wizards or otherwise." She grumbled.  
  
"Ouch, bitter are we?" He grinned at her tone.  
  
"Bill, if this was the library back home, I would have found that book at the most three minutes after I started searching. If I didn't find the one I was looking for, I'd at least have found a book on Arabian history! This library stinks, and you know it."  
  
"Sheesh, every library isn't as good as the one back home, you know." He said.  
  
"I know the book we're looking for; I've seen it before, in that very library back home. I'll write to Madame Pince as soon as I can get hold of an owl, and we'll have it here by the end of the week." Hermione declared.  
  
"Madame Pince would actually let you take books off the grounds, and as far as Italy, at that? What'd you do? Bribe her?" He asked incredulously.  
  
Hermione flashed him a superior grin, and tapped her nose.  
  
"Bill, I've lived in that library for the past six years; I could commit murder there, and get away with it." She said smugly.  
  
"I envy you, she'd never let me take a book outside the library even, on the grounds that I was a Weasley, and was bound to damage it somehow." He sighed. "She went to school with Dad, and he'd said to have been just as bad as Fred and George, if not worse." He added as an explanation, seeing her puzzled look.  
  
"Hello, I'm talking here! It's rude to interrupt, you know!" Robert cut in.  
  
"Oh, shut up, you pompous moron. We stopped listening a long time ago, so we'd appreciate if you stopped talking too." Hermione snapped.  
  
Bill did his best to keep himself from laughing as Robert stared at her, and then spun on his heel and left. Hermione watched him go with a relieved expression on her face.  
  
"I'm glad to be rid of that idiot. Now, we've been in here for quite some time, should we head back, you think?" She asked, turning back to Bill.  
  
"You're probably right; I know a few other libraries we could try, but we'll do that tomorrow." He agreed.  
  
****'  
  
They walked back to the Swan and Dragon, a little annoyed that the university library had proved to be a dead end. The old barman, whose name they had yet to find out, greeted them with a nod when they entered. Bill stopped for a moment, and then seemed to remember something. He walked up to the old man, and held a conversation Hermione couldn't hear, and then came back with a disappointed look on his face.  
  
"I asked about our rooms and if we could change them, but apparently we can't. We'll have to live with those we have." He said apologetically.  
  
"That's alright. It could be worse, eh?" She joked lamely.  
  
The truth was; she was uncomfortable with spending her nights in the same room as Bill. It wasn't that she thought he'd try anything, at was just that she'd never done anything like this in her life, and she had always been uncomfortable when things changed too fast.  
  
"I guess it could. Now, you've got a letter to write, and we still haven't had dinner." He gestured for her to follow and headed up the stairs.  
  
An hour later found them in their rooms. Hermione had finally gotten to change her clothes, after taking a much needed shower, and was now sitting at the small desk between the beds, writing a letter to Madame Pince.  
  
She could hear Bill moving around in the outer room, doing god-knows-what, and put down her quill. Her stomach rumbled; it had been quite long since lunch, after all, and she was very hungry. She was just about to walk out and ask Bill when they'd eat, when said man opened the door.  
  
"Hey, ´Mione, hungry yet?" He asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good, I've cooked some dinner. Come on, let's eat." He invited.  
  
"You? Cooked dinner?" She asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, you thought I spent my years in the kitchen at the Burrow learning nothing? I know that of the rest of my brothers, only Charlie can make a passable meal, but that doesn't mean I'm a horrible cook." He winked at her.  
  
"Oh, alright then, but if I get poisoned, you're paying for my hospital bills." She warned him.  
  
"Yes, my lady." He joked.  
  
´I wonder if he knows why I'm suspicious to Weasley cooking? After eating Ron's cooking, I'm entitled to be at least a bit suspicious.´ She thought. She walked out in the outer room, and discovered he had set up a table there. On the table were everything one could expect from a meal at the Burrow; pies, potatoes, steak and more vegetables than she could count.  
  
"Bill, I stand corrected; you can cook." She admitted after the first mouthful.  
  
"How could you ever doubt, ´Mione?" He asked, grinning. "By the way, are you finished with the letter yet?"  
  
"Yes, I am. But I left my owl at home, so I can't send it."  
  
"Not to worry, my lady, there is a post office down the street. We'll go there tomorrow." He promised, winking a bit.  
  
They sat up for what seemed like hours, talking about the Borealis Curse, how to break it, and what could be in the treasure chest. When they ran out of things to talk about, they decided it was time to go to bed. They said good night to each other, and with little problem, the managed to go to bed without embarrassing each other. Once again, Hermione was asleep before her head hit the pillow.  
  
*****'  
  
Alright, that was long, for being me, at least. *sigh* Since English is my second language, I sometimes have trouble finding the right words for some things. If any of my sentences seem strange because of that, please don't flame me too bad. 


	5. Corwith Returns

Yes, I am aware that the name of the bookstore owner is the same as in Heart of the Wolf, but I had originally planned to let him have a bigger part. It didn't turn out that way, so I'll let him make an appearance here instead.  
  
I anyone gets the Mel Brooks reference I've made in his chapter, I'll give that person enough chocolate to knock them out. You've got to be damn good if you get. Or a Mel Brooks-maniac.  
  
******'  
  
The next day Hermione awoke in much the same fashion; Bill singing, being annoyingly awake and pulled her blankets away. This time, however, she sat up immediately, and growled at Bill.  
  
"Oh, for the love of somebody! Bill, if you like music so damn much, I'll get you a stereo!" She snapped.  
  
He started at her use of a curse word, but then grinned.  
  
"Got you up, didn't I?" He said. "What's a stereo, anyway?"  
  
"A Muggle thing; it plays music." She explained.  
  
"I know about radios, but not stereos. What's the difference?" He seemed really interested.  
  
She got up from the bad and, hand on her hips, glared at him.  
  
"IF you would let me dress first, I'll tell you." She said.  
  
Bill opened his mouth to reply, but seeing her expression, he quickly ducked out of the room. Hermione glared at him till the door slammed shut, and then turned to grab some clothes from her trunk, grumbling about slave driving Weasley's and Muggle obsessions. When she was finally done dressing, or rather changing clothes, she stepped out in the other room, to find Bill sitting in a chair, waiting for her.  
  
"Well, ready to go yet?" She asked.  
  
"Sure. Now, what is a stereo?" He asked, jumping up to walk beside her.  
  
"You are too much like your dad. Anyway, I guess I'll have to explain then. You know radios play music according to the radio station you tune in, right?" She sighed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, stereos and radios are very much alike, with the only difference that with a stereo, you can choose exactly what music you want to listen to, and when." She finished her explanation.  
  
"Neat." He grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I'll show you some time. But we have to owl Madame Pince now." She said gesturing to the letter she'd grabbed on her way out.  
  
"Right then, come along." He said, leading the way.  
  
******'  
  
After they'd sent the letter to Madame Pince, a loud rumble from Bill's stomach reminded them that they had, in fact, skipped breakfast. Bill once again grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her off to the closest café he could find.  
  
He ordered a good size breakfast, and nearly ate it all by himself, at the last moment remembering that Hermione should get something to eat too. He leaned back when he was finished, and seemed to drift off.  
  
"Bill? What are you thinking about?" She asked.  
  
"I'm wondering what could be in that chest. I tried, but I can't remember what was in the other one. I mean, what could be so important that you have to protect it with the Borealis Curse?" He said.  
  
"Well, what could be so important that you have to protect it with a slobbering three-headed dog, the Devil's Snare, a swarm of flying keys, a mountain troll, a huge chess set, a logic riddle involving a lot of poison and the Mirror of Erised? Simple, the Philosopher's Stone." She grinned.  
  
"Yeah, but Flammel was the only known creator of that one; and I doubt an Arabian wizard would create the Philosopher's Stone and then leave it in a chest in the cellars of an Italian university. It doesn't make sense. And the Phoenix, I'm sure there's something more to that than just protecting the chest." He speculated.  
  
"You mean there's something connected to the Phoenix in that chest? Could be, but I would like to know what was in the first one."  
  
"I'll see what I can do. There are some people in Cairo that ought to know." Bill offered.  
  
"That'll be a good idea. You said there were other libraries we could check?" She asked.  
  
"Well, not really libraries, but I have a friend around here who owns a bookstore. He has all sorts of rare books, and if I ask him nicely, I'm sure he'll let you have a look at them. His name's Corwith." He said.  
  
"Would you? That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah. Why don't I leave you there, while I go see what I can find out about the chest?" He asked.  
  
"Sure, where is this shop?" She asked excitedly.  
  
"I'll show you."  
  
******'  
  
Hermione stepped into Corwith's bookshop, and gasped. The shop, which had looked so small from the outside, was larger than any library she'd ever seen. It seemed to have been constructed by M. Escher having a field day, with stairs running up to the second floor, twisting in impossible angles. The shelves were crammed full of books, many of which she'd never even heard of before.  
  
"I have died and gone to heaven." She breathed.  
  
"I guess I won't be seeing you again." Bill grinned.  
  
"Is your girlfriend cheating on you with my books, Bill?" Asked an amused voice from behind them.  
  
"Oh, she's not my girlfriend, Corwith, she's my assistant. But yes, if she had a boyfriend, she would cheat on him with your books:" Bill replied, turning to the man behind him.  
  
Corwith chuckled, and looked at Hermione. She was standing there, and clasped in front of her chest, mouth open in delight of what she saw.  
  
"Now, Bill, you disappoint me; she's not your girlfriend?"  
  
"No, she's not." Bill repeated.  
  
"Why ever not, Bill?" Corwith asked, sounding surprised.  
  
"Because she's my brother's best friend, Corwith, and I have a creeping suspicion he fancies her." Bill shrugged. "Besides, why should she be my girlfriend? She's a good friend, but nothing more"  
  
"You just keep telling yourself that, boy." Corwith nodded knowingly.  
  
"Whatever. I'll leave her in your care, and I want her to be alive and conscious when I come back, you hear me?" He said.  
  
"Why are you leaving?"  
  
"I have to talk to some people, and I ordered her to find some books. When she comes out of her daze, remind her, will you?" Bill grinned as he watched Hermione  
  
"Sure thing, Bill, sure thing."  
  
Bill took one last look at Hermione, shook his head and headed out the door. She'd be safely occupied for hours ahead.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione snapped out of her daze as soon as Bill was out the door. She grinned widely at the wider range of books in the store, and dreamily started to walk through the aisles. After less than half an hour, she had found all that Bill had requested, and a few books that she thought looked like they could help.  
  
She walked to the table that was conveniently placed in the middle of the store, sat down and started skimming though the books. They proved to be so interesting that she quickly lost herself in them, and didn't even notice when Corwith came up beside her.  
  
"Find anything interesting?" He asked, startling her.  
  
"Yes, I have." She smiled, when she recovered from the shock.  
  
Corwith sat down next to her and looked over the books on the table. He picked up a few and inspected them closer, and nodded to himself.  
  
"So, you had a run in with the Borealis Curse, eh?" He asked.  
  
"Well, that's what we think it is. It's the only thing that's logical, and if it is, Bill said he didn't dare try to put a scanning spell on it, since it'd only make the curse react." She explained.  
  
"He said that, did he?" Corwith's eyes twinkled in a way disturbingly like that of Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"Did I say something funny?" She asked, puzzled.  
  
"No, no; it's nothing, just an old mans speculations. How long have you known him, then? I haven't seen you around before."  
  
"Oh, I go to school with his brother, and I met him for the first time three or four years ago. I can't remember exactly." She shrugged.  
  
"Which brother? Bill has a lot of them, if I remember correctly." Corwith wanted to know.  
  
"The youngest, Ron. We've been friends since the first year at Hogwarts, and I'm starting seventh year this fall." She smiled, remembering their many adventures.  
  
Then she suddenly lost her smile, when she remembered she and Ron weren't talking to each other right now. But then she shook off the gloomy thoughts and returned to the present.  
  
"I'm not sure if Bill wants me to purchase these books, so would it be alright if I took some notes?" She asked timidly.  
  
"You go right ahead, girl. If you need any help, don't hesitate to scream." He said, winked at her, and was gone.  
  
"Right, and he asked me those questions because?" Hermione asked no one in particular.  
  
Shaking her head, she went back to her books. She had a lot to do before Bill came back.  
  
*****'  
  
When a hand clamped down on her shoulder, she jumped sky-high. She spun around and whipped out her wand, preparing to throw a nasty hex at whoever it was, before she saw it was Bill. She sighed, dropped her wand arm down again, and tried to calm down.  
  
"Whoa, ´Mione, calm down, it's just me." Bill said, holding his hands in front of him, laughing.  
  
"Sorry, Bill; battle nerves, I guess. Why are you here?" She apologized.  
  
"I'm here to pick you up, ´Mione; you've been here all day long. You didn't even eat lunch, according to Corwith." He scolded her lightly.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't realize I was here so long." She blushed a little.  
  
"Sure, sure. Let's pay for these books, and then we can go eat dinner." He said.  
  
He grabbed the books on the table, found Corwith and paid him, and then they headed out the door together. Hermione carried her own extensive notes, as well as a few of the books, while Bill took the rest of the massive stack of reading material.  
  
*****'  
  
She was sitting on her bed, nose deep in one of the books they'd bought. They had gone back to the Swan and Dragon and ate dinner, but only after Bill threatened to force feed her if she didn't eat. After that, she'd retreated to the bedroom with the books, and buried herself in work.  
  
Bill had disappeared somewhere, probably out hunting for something else to eat. She could never have guessed how much food he needed just to stay upright. He ate breakfast, then worked for an hour, and then ate at least a sandwich, and after that, it was an hour of work, and then lunch. And it didn't get much better than that. Sometimes, she thought he was just eating all the time to annoy her.  
  
She shook off the contemplations and went back to the book. It was fascinating; it was about the founder of the Borealis Curse, Tomas Larsson, and how he came up with the curse, and why. A biography, of sorts.  
  
When she finally put down the book, it was dark outside, and time to go to sleep. She slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Bill was sitting in one of the chairs of the outer room, reading another book. He glanced up at her and nodded, before going back to his reading. She nodded back sleepily, brushed her teeth, and went back to the bedroom.  
  
She was exhausted, and falling sleep quickly seemed to be her new habit. She crawled under the covers and buried her head in the pillow, mulling over the days events.  
  
The biography hadn't looked very promising at first, but after a while it began to talk more and more about the Borealis Curse. Tomas Larsson had been a very powerful wizard, one of the most powerful wizards in history, in fact. He nearly rivalled Albus Dumbledore in power, and just like the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Tomas Larsson had chosen to use his powers to protect others.  
  
The Borealis Curse had from the beginning been meant to be put on secret hideouts, the kind people escaped to when the likes of Death Eaters attacked. Of course, there hadn't been Death Eaters back then, but the comparison would have to do. It had also been meant to be placed on homes so that wolves or other carnivores couldn't break in and attack humans and livestock. Apparently the winters in northern Sweden were harsh.  
  
It had gone from being a protective ward to becoming a curse to repel thieves or treasure hunters. It was only used rarely, mainly because of its strength and the time and energy spent in casting it. It was also a very complicated spell, which few could master.  
  
Bill had told her that he'd found a few things out about the first chest, but unfortunately not what it had contained. He'd written to a few of his friends in Egypt about it, and asked them for more information. Hopefully, they'd answer quickly.  
  
She sighed and cleared her mind of everything. Soon, she was fast asleep.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes: Alright, so it's a lot shorter than the last chapter. So sue me. I decided that we need to move this plot along a bit, and therefore, the day in Corwith's bookshop. Probably doesn't make sense, but anyway. And if any of you recognize the name Corwith, it's me stealing from Mercedes Lackey again. Corwith's an owl in one of her books. I can't help it; the books are just so good. 


	6. It's Been A While

I've been telling this story from Hermione's semi-POV, but in parts of this chapter, we will take a look inside Bill's head, to see what's going on in our favourite Weasley's mind. Alright, alright, make that MY favourite Weasley. *sighs dreamily* Oh, that's right, I'm writing a story here. Sorry *blushes*.  
  
If my switching POV's is confusing tell me. I'll TRY to keep my switches regular.  
  
This chapter will have a higher rating; PG-13, because of the occasional swearword.  
  
***'  
  
Hermione was surprisingly enough up before Bill the next morning. He got up and found her sitting in her bed, already deep in the biography. He smiled a shook his head; from what he'd heard from Ron, this was typical behaviour from Hermione. He wasn't sure if his brother had got it right, though, since Hermione seemed to have a lot more going on in her life than just studying.  
  
From the sound of Ron's complaining, she did nothing but study all summer long. Ron also said that Hermione was a teacher's pet, a know-it-all but in a good way, and so perfect it was disgusting. The bottom line was, Ron said Hermione was a nice girl.  
  
But nice girls don't wear T-shirts that state that their families are insane. Nice girls don't break the rules and steal from their Potions Master's storerooms. Nice girls don't attack their professors. And nice girls weren't interesting.  
  
So Hermione couldn't logically be a nice girl, because she'd done all that.  
  
He was convinced Ron had a crush on the brown-haired girl. He talked about her all the time, even if it was just to whine about her studying habits. But Hermione hadn't breathed a word about Ron since they arrived in Rome, so he doubted it went both ways.  
  
That was a blessing really; he knew his brother like the back of his own hand, and if anything of what he'd learned about Hermione over the last few days was true, they'd tear each other's throats out if they ever got together. And there was no way Ron could ever keep up with her inquiring mind.  
  
He was allowed to poke fun at his brother. In fact, it was practically his duty as big brother to do so. And right now Ron wasn't here to stop him. Ladies and gentlemen, let the games begin.  
  
*****'  
  
She didn't notice Bill looking at her, until she looked up and saw him leaning against the doorframe, a small smile on his face. She furrowed her brow confusedly.  
  
"Bill? Are you alright?" She ventured after a while.  
  
"Yeah, I am. I'm just thinking. How's it going?" He asked, walking across to sit next to her.  
  
"This book is really interesting! I've only found out how he made the Curse, though." She finished, downcast.  
  
"That's something, at least." He said kindly.  
  
"Yeah, but I thought we'd make some progress after getting these books, and all." She said helplessly.  
  
"´Mione, we've had the books for less than twenty-four hours. No one could have expected us to have made more progress than we already have." He told her.  
  
"I know; I'm always like his. I want to find the answers as quick as possible. When I don't, I get upset, and irritable. Maybe that's why Ron can't stand me." She finished bitterly.  
  
"Why shouldn't he stand you? He has no reason not to." Bill argued.  
  
They were getting somewhere. He'd wondered what his younger brother had done to anger her, but hadn't dared to ask. Now she had conveniently brought the subject up herself.  
  
"I don't know!" She exclaimed, putting the book down on the table. "I study for the tests we have, and he tells me I'm boring. I do my homework on time, and he tells me I should loosen up! I respect my teachers, and he says I should get a life! I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and when I ask him about it, we either fight or he tells be to leave him alone!" She finished, shouting now.  
  
Then she stared at him for a moment, and then realized that she had just shouted at him, poured out her heart about his younger brother, and generally made an idiot of herself. All the stress and the will to prove that she really was up to this came crashing down on her, and she sank down in her chair again, belatedly realizing that she'd stood up sometime during her tirade.  
  
She avoided looking at Bill, knowing that she had probably made him angry by talking about Ron that way; the Weasley's were a close-knit family, and retaliated with force if anyone touched a family member. But he didn't seem to be doing anything. She buried her face in her hands, and tired as she was, began to cry.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill blinked. He'd never expected her to react that violently to a simple question. And then his ears caught up with his brain and replayed the last few sentences. He closed his eyes again. Not again. Why did Ron have to be such a bloody idiot some times? Wait, scratch that; all the time? How could his brother have been stupid enough to start argument with Hermione because she studied?  
  
His eye snapped open again when he heard a sob. He looked around himself in incomprehension, until his eyes lit upon Hermione. Her shoulders were shaking violently, and she had her face in her hands. Alarmed, he got to his feet and knelt by her chair. Having inherited his father's long legs, he still came up to her head.  
  
"Hermione? What's wrong?" He asked softly.  
  
She choked out something he didn't understand and only sobbed harder. She looked so much like Ginny had when Charlie had fallen off his broom and had to go to St. Mungo's. His little sister had cried for hours, and all he could do was hold her and rock her back and forth, whispering in her ear that everything would be alright. Thus, he proceeded to do the same with Hermione.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her out of her chair and down on the floor, rocking her back and forth. She clung to his bony frame, sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"Shh, ´Mione. It's alright. Shh." He whispered in her ear, slowly calming her down.  
  
"No, it's not!" She protested between sobs.  
  
"Shh, calm down, ´Mione, calm down." He soothed.  
  
*****'  
  
After what seemed like hours, she stopped sobbing, and could breathe normally again. Bill still had his arms around her, and she was halfway sitting on his lap, both of them located on the floor. She breathed a little shakily, and Bill seemed to notice she'd stopped crying.  
  
"Want to talk about it?" He asked softly.  
  
"What's there to talk about?" She asked back, voice muffled by his shirt.  
  
He chuckled at that.  
  
"Hermione, you've been crying into my shirt for the last half hour; something in obviously wrong." He said. "Now tell me what it is."  
  
Still clinging to him as if she was drowning, she began to talk.  
  
"Ron and I argue all the time, but we've always made up and become friends again afterwards. We had a fight just before Hogwarts ended this summer, but this time it was worse; he called me names only Malfoy would use, and I told him things I didn't mean. I don't want to talk about that, but we're not on speaking terms anymore." She began.  
  
She looked up at him the best she could with his chin resting on her head.  
  
"I said a few things now that I thought you'd take offence by." She admitted. "I did bad mouth your brother."  
  
"By brother's a bloody prat who needs a good beating to get some sense into his head." Bill declared. "But ´Mione, that's not all, is it?"  
  
"No." She whispered. "It's not. I'm stressed out. I know we've just begun, but I don't feel like we've making any progress at all, and it's so frustrating! I'm a perfectionist when it comes to work, and not finding anything right away makes me feel bad. Oh, listen to me; I can't even explain what's wrong!" She exclaimed. "I'm so worthless."  
  
"No, ´Mione, you're not worthless. Not at all. Worthless people don't have friends, perfect grades or a mind quick enough to rival Albus Dumbledore's. Worthless people don't find out how the Borealis Curse is made in just a matter of hours. A worthless person isn't like you, `Mione." Bill contradicted her.  
  
"And as for not making progress?" He continued, "If this is not making progress, I'd hate to see what making progress is. If it hadn't been for you, I'd still be sitting in that bloody cellar, scratching my head and wondering what kind of curse was placed on the chest. You thought so fast, it made me dizzy. No body's perfect, ´Mione, but you're so close, it's scary."  
  
She hiccoughed, and nodded hesitantly. Bill wrapped his arms tighter around her, and helped her stand.  
  
"Now, if I ever hear you say you're worthless again, I'm going to be angry with you. Very angry. And if anyone ever calls you names, I'm going to kill them, alright?" He said.  
  
She nodded, smiling through her tears.  
  
"Good. Now dry you eyes, and let's get something to eat. You'll think better with food in your stomach." He said, grabbing her by the hand and leading her to the door.  
  
"You know, that sounds like something your mother would say." Hermione commented.  
  
"Of course it is; where do you think I get it from?"  
  
*****'  
  
One hour, a breakfast and three cups of coffee later, Hermione was back to normal. They had opted to eat at a café again, since the only thing the Swan and Dragon offered was porridge, and porridge wasn't enough for someone used to Mrs Weasley's breakfasts.  
  
"Hey, ´Mione, you said you'd show me what a stereo was." Bill said.  
  
"Yeah, I did." She said, eying him curiously.  
  
"Well, since you seem a little sick of the biography right now, I thought we might as well do something else. It could even help us solve the curse quicker." He said, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"You are just as curious about Muggle things as your father, aren't you?" She asked.  
  
"Um, maybe?" He answered.  
  
"Never mind, Bill, it was a rhetorical question. But yes, we could. I'm warning you though, Muggle music might be different than what you're used to." She smiled.  
  
"As long as it's nothing like the Weird Sisters, I'm alright with it." He shuddered, remembering his experiences of wizarding music.  
  
"Oh, not at all, so don't worry." She chuckled.  
  
*****'  
  
She had transfigured her walkman into a stereo, and was currently deep in her trunk, digging around for her CD's. Her taste in music was rather different from most girls her age. Most witches her age, that was. They tended to listen to the Weird Sisters, which could be compared to Westlife, while she listened to bands like Lifehouse and Creed.  
  
When she finally found the one she was looking for, she re-emerged from the trunk, smiling widely. She popped the CD in the stereo, and after selecting the right song, she pushed play. She took a step back and stood beside Bill as the song started.  
  
.  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could hold my head up high  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I first saw you  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could stand on my own two feet again  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could call you  
  
.  
  
It was It's Been A While, by Staind, one of her favourite songs. She had fallen in love with it the first time she'd heard it, and had bought the single as soon as she could. Judging from the look in Bill's face, he liked it too. She smiled, closed her eyes and continued to listen to the song.  
  
.  
  
And everything I can't remember  
  
As fucked up as it all may seem  
  
The consequences that I've rendered  
  
I've stretched myself beyond my means  
  
.  
  
She smiled; it fit perfectly. She had stretched herself beyond what she was capable of, and she had messed up her friendship with Ron pretty badly. She knew it was her fault, but she couldn't remember where she'd gone wrong.  
  
.  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could say I wasn't addicted  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could say I love myself as well  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I've gone and fucked things up, just like I always do  
  
And it's been a while  
  
But all that shit seems to disappear when I'm with you.  
  
.  
  
She and Ron had always been at each others throats, and would never have been friends had it not been for Harry. But over the years, she had become close with Ron, and her days didn't seem complete if she hadn't argued with Ron at least once. She missed him, plain and simple. She missed him more than she ever thought she could, but with Bill there to take her mind off it, it didn't matter anymore.  
  
.  
  
And everything I can't remember  
  
As fucked up as it all may seem  
  
The consequences that I've rendered  
  
I've gone and fucked things up again  
  
.  
  
Why must I feel this way?  
  
Just make this go away  
  
Just one more peaceful day.  
  
.  
  
She didn't want to break down and cry over the smallest things, just because she and Ron were fighting. The friendship between her, Ron and Harry were one of the most important things in her life, and she didn't want to break it up because of some silly argument over studying. She wanted it to go away, or better yet, never to have happened.  
  
.  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could look at myself straight  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I've said I'm sorry  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I've seen the way the candles light your face  
  
And it's been a while  
  
But I can still remember just the way you taste.  
  
.  
  
She gave a wry smile; hat was the only place the song didn't go with her feelings. It had been a while since she'd said she was sorry to Ron, but the rest of it was grossly out of place. She had never been in love with Ron, and didn't think she'd ever be.  
  
.  
  
And everything I can't remember  
  
As fucked up as it all may seem to be I know it's me  
  
I cannot blame this on my father  
  
He did the best he could for me  
  
.  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I could hold my head up high  
  
And it's been a while  
  
Since I've said I'm sorry  
  
.  
  
No, she could definitely not blame any of this on her father. It was her fault, just as much as it was Ron's. And she wasn't going to blame anyone; as soon as she saw Ron again, she'd apologize to him. Hopefully, he'd apologize to her to.  
  
The song was over, and she turned the stereo off again. She turned to Bill only to find him standing there with his jaw slack, staring. She walked up to him and waved her hand in front of his face, trying to get a reaction. He blinked and shut his mouth.  
  
"´Mione, that was awesome." He got out after a while.  
  
"Thank you. Now that we've taken a break, I've calmed down and shown you how to use a stereo, can we get back to work?" She asked, smiling.  
  
He only nodded, clearly too surprised to speak. They sat down at the table again, and started going through the books. Silence descended over the room, broken only by an owl from Madame Pince with the book on Arabian history. Lunch came and went, dinner arrived and was eaten, and darkness fell.  
  
That night, Hermione and Bill fell asleep equally fast, both dreaming.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; Damn, a semi-songfic chapter? What is the world coming to? Er, hope you like it anyway. And before you protest; it isn't OOC for Hermione to like Staind and Metallica, (Not that the last was mentioned). I am very much a real-life Hermione, study-wise, and my grades as just as good as hers, I have two best friends, both guys, and the list goes on. And I am a fan of Metallica. See? The point I'm trying to make is that Hermione can like Metallica if she wants to. 


	7. Night Of The Living Monologues

Meep! I apologize for putting that song in the last chapter. I don't know if it was out in the summer of 97; I was just going through my collection of song-lyrics, and ended up with that one. Please don' kill me.  
  
Romance moves along in this chapter. I should have taken it slower, but it turns out that I don't have the patience for it. Besides, I wouldn't know what to write. Hopefully you're not too angry with me.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione sat up with a gasp, staring wildly around her. At first, she didn't recognize her surroundings at all, feeling completely bewildered. But then she remembered that she was in Italy with Bill Weasley, who was sleeping in his own bed on the other side of the room. She lay down again, and tried to calm down, which wasn't easy with Bill still in the room, sleeping peacefully.  
  
Three weeks had passed since she'd broken down and cried in his arms. Three weeks of confused dreams, frenzied research, and frequent trips to the bookshop. Three weeks and they were not much closer to finding a counter spell than they had been when they first came here.  
  
She sighed and closed her eyes again. It was too early to worry about the research, but she couldn't sleep, so she concentrated on her second problem. Ever since she'd broken down, and Bill had comforted her, she'd been having dreams. Dreams of Bill, to be exact.  
  
She'd woken up more than once, escaping from the clutches of a dream, replaying the scene that had occurred three weeks ago. She pulled the blanket over her head, and made a miserable sound. She didn't want to like Bill that way; not when he was her working partner. She wasn't sure she wanted to like Bill that way ever. And it had gone so fast!  
  
Three weeks and there was already a bloody, take-no-prisoners, stab-them-in- the-back battle between her will to continue researching, thus solving the spell, and walking over to him and snog him senseless. She stifled a groan; this was definitely not the plan. Her plan had been to go to Italy, work with Bill and solve a spell, then go home again and spend the rest of her summer with her family. It had not involved breaking down crying, dreaming of her best friend's brother and definitely not falling for him.  
  
"Bloody hopeless." She muttered to herself as she hid her face in the pillow.  
  
"Whassat?" Bill mumbled sleepily, lifting his head off the pillow.  
  
"Nothing, go back to sleep." She ordered, not moving.  
  
"Alright." He mumbled, head falling back down with a thump.  
  
Hermione watched him sleep, her mind buzzing too much to follow his example. She smiled; he was cute when he slept, even though his hair looked like a haystack. She didn't mind, though. *You've got it bad, girl*, she thought, and continued to watch him silently.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill, however, wasn't as sleepy as he looked. He was, in fact, wide awake. He had woken up when Hermione sat up in her bed, and now he had a hard time falling asleep again. He was alarmingly aware of Hermione's eyes on him, and had to fight down a blush.  
  
Ever since that day when she'd broken down and cried, she seemed to be watching him a lot more than usual. He didn't mind, but it was odd to say the least. Not bad odd, not at all, but it was a little strange to turn around and find your little brother's best friend staring at you before she realized it and turned away. Not that Ron and Hermione were much of friends lately.  
  
His eyes shot open, but he didn't dare move or even breathe, when he heard her mutter to herself. A mutter that sounded suspiciously like ´You've got it bad, girl´. What did she mean? She couldn't be talking about him, could she? No, that'd be ridiculous. Someone as smart and beautiful as Hermione could get anyone she wanted, so why should she be talking about him?  
  
Wait, he hadn't just called her beautiful, had he? Damn; he had. *Snap out of it!* He told himself, *you're twenty-six, and she's what? Seventeen? And she's Ron's best friend. A best friend he happens to be crushing on, so don't even go there.* Oh, no; talking to ones self is the first sign of madness.  
  
Well, he had to be mad, hadn't he? Even thinking about her that way was bad, having to come up with excuses to prevent himself from doing so was even worse. Biting back a frustrated groan, he buried his face deeper in the pillow and tried to ignore the thoughts buzzing around his head.  
  
Three hours later, he finally gave up and sat up in his bed, startling Hermione who was still awake. He yawned hugely and with a wink at her, he got up and walked out the door. He couldn't stand being in the same room as her right now; he had way too much on his mind, and too much of it concerned her.  
  
*****'  
  
She didn't realize how long she'd been staring at Bill until he got up and walked out, but not before winking at her. Blinking confusedly, she got up too and started digging though her trunk for clean clothes.  
  
Five minutes later, she was at the bottom of the trunk, and still hadn't found more than a clean shirt. Socks, trousers and underwear were still on the wanted list. All she found at the bottom of the trunk was the letter from Dumbledore she'd gotten the day before they went to Italy; a written permission to use magic on the holidays, provided that she didn't misuse it in any way. She had her suspicions that he knew about her little trip to Italy.  
  
But the fact remained; she had no clean clothes. It looked like today was going to be a laundry day. She sighed and walked out of the bedroom to find Bill; she might as well tell him it would be a while before she could resume researching.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill was just finished shaving when Hermione knocked on the bathroom door. He was washing his hands, and didn't bother turning around.  
  
"What is it?" He called.  
  
"I've got no clean clothes left, so I'll have to do some laundry before working today. Is that alright?" She called back through the still closed door.  
  
"Sure." He said, opening the door to reveal a sleepy looking Hermione. "I have to go meet some Gringotts representatives. They've been pestering me about why I've taken on an assistant when I've always protested to it before." He finished, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Mhm. Mind if I take over the bathroom?" She asked, not really listening.  
  
"Sure. Have fun today." He grinned.  
  
"Right. You might want to brush your hair before you go. It looks like a haystack." She pointed out before walking past him.  
  
"Hey, it's too early in the morning for insults!" He protested.  
  
"Who said it was an insult?" She smiled, still half-asleep, by the look of it, "I think it's cute."  
  
She disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, leaving Bill standing there looking like a dead fish. She'd just called him cute. For no reason. Thank the gods she had shut the door, or she'd see him blushing like a traffic light.  
  
Better stop that thought before it got any further. He disappeared out the door and down the stairs.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione leaned against the bathroom door, blushing furiously. She hadn't just said that, had she? No, wait, she had. Hopefully, he hadn't been paying attention. Yes, that was always something to wish for. With a sigh, she pushed herself off the door and started brushing her teeth.  
  
When she was done, she went out in the living room. Grabbing her wand and her clothes from the bedroom, she stopped for a moment, trying to remember the Cleaning Charm. A grin spread over her face when she did, and she was just about to start using it when she remembered that she was still wearing her dirty clothes from yesterday. Quickly, she changed into the only clean shirt, and since Bill wasn't going to be back in a few hours, she didn't bother finding a pair of pants. Thankfully, the shirt went down to mid- thigh.  
  
Almost as an afterthought, she popped a CD in the newly transfigured stereo and pushed play. She liked having music when she worked. She'd borrowed one of her dad's old favourites, and whistled along with ´Rocking All Over The World´ by Status Quo as she waved her wand.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill returned to the Swan and Dragon only twenty minutes later. The Gringotts representatives had only been wasting his time, time that could have been spent on important research, or better yet, on finding a way to live with Hermione for the reminder of the assignment without jumping her and snogging her senseless.  
  
He slapped himself mentally, and followed up with a mental kick or two afterwards. It was not good to think of Hermione that way; it would only turn out badly. Like his attempt at a relationship with Fleur Delacour. It had gone well for two months; until he found out she was cheating on him with some other man, or rather, walked in on them. Needless to say, he had been angry and miserable for weeks, before vowing to himself that he'd never do the same mistake again.  
  
He'd decided to not enter a relationship or even think about a woman that way until he was sure he wanted to settle down for life. Shaking off the gloomy flashbacks, he opened the door to their rooms. He was going through the paperwork he'd been given, and only looked up after he'd shut the door.  
  
And promptly dropped his jaw.  
  
Hermione was standing over a heap of her clothes, waving her wand, muttering incantations under her breath, wearing nothing but a T-shirt. Thankfully, for Bill's sanity, it reached mid-thigh. Unfortunately, once again for Bill's sanity, it reached mid-thigh. A win-win situation, depending on your point of view, of course. From the point of view of Bill's sanity, it was a lose-lose situation. Not that the rest of Bill was complaining.  
  
He stood frozen at the door, jaw somewhere in the vicinity of his knees, staring at Hermione with the paperwork still clutched in his hand. He watched, horror-struck, as Hermione slowly turned around, apparently whistling along with the music, and saw him standing there.  
  
She gave a sound that could only be spelled ´meep´ and turned crimson. Without saying anything, she grabbed her clothing and ran into the bedroom, leaving him standing there, shell-shocked.  
  
His vision was clouding, and he remembered he had to breathe. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and tried his hardest to drive the sight of Hermione in only a T-shirt as far from his mind as possible.  
  
It should be illegal for anyone to look that good. Definitely if that ´anyone´ was Hermione Granger, seventeen and not-yet-seventh-year, and Hogwarts resident bookworm. Where the hell had she hid that body? Better question; where did she get it?  
  
No. Not a good thing to think about. His sanity was in enough danger as it was. Concentrate on other things. Like the research. It's going great, thanks to Hermione. Oh no, there he went again. Alright, Gringotts then. Annoying people who bugged him about his apprentice; it wasn't any of their bloody business who he hired to help him, and if they ever met Hermione, they'd probably fall over in shock of how smart she was. Damn, it wasn't working!  
  
"There goes that decision." He whispered to himself, staring blankly at the papers in his hand.  
  
****'  
  
She lay on her bed with the covers over her head, whimpering to herself. How could she have been so stupid? She was a Muggleborn, she knew about Murphy's Law, so why had she been stupid enough to do what she had? Maybe living with wizards for so long had dulled her mind, or something. Maybe Fred and George had slipped something in her food the last day at Hogwarts, making her act like a complete idiot. Hell, maybe she was a complete idiot.  
  
Either way, she'd just let Bill see her half-naked. Which was probably one of the most embarrassing experiences in her whole damn life. How was she ever going to look him in the eye without blushing? She had a hard time looking at him without turning red before. Now she would probably experience the infamous ´Weasley-blush´ every time he was in the room.  
  
He was probably laughing at her right now. He probably thought of her as a silly little schoolgirl anyway. But she'd show him, she'd show everyone, that she was good enough for this. She'd find the counter curse, no matter how long it took.  
  
She grabbed the biography, which she still hadn't finished on the account of it being one of the thickest books she'd ever read, and started reading. Tomas Larsson had gathered all his research in his biography, which according to her was a bloody stupid thing to do, considering that the book might end up in anyone's hands.  
  
She opened the book at random, being too bored to look up the place she'd last stopped reading, and started scanning the pages. She didn't know how long she'd been reading when she turned the page and halfway down; she stopped, and re-read the passage once more.  
  
" - The Borealis Curse should not be cast irresponsibly, because it is one of the most powerful curses in existence. Should it ever be misused, there is one way to break it. I will write it down here, so that anyone who reads this will be able to amend his mistakes." She read out loud.  
  
"To break the curse, one drop of blood must be spilled on the item on which it is placed, and the reverse of the incantation must be said. After this, a blinding light will show. When it fades, the curse is gone." She finished the passage.  
  
"I found the counter curse." She whispered in awe.  
  
She jumped up and was about to run out in the living room when she realized that she was still wearing only a T-shirt. Quickly, she threw on some clothes and ran out the door. If she smiled any wider, her face would crack. Well out in the living room, she halted suddenly, bewildered.  
  
Bill wasn't there. The bathroom door stood open, and the bathroom was empty. Bill wasn't there.  
  
She looked around her wildly, and then stormed out the door and down the stairs. The Tom-look-alike was wiping off the bar, and looked at her curiously. She didn't bother saying anything; she was too concentrated on whether or not Bill was there. He wasn't.  
  
Through the windows she could see that the sun had already set; she must have been reading for longer than she thought. Unaware that she was only dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, she ran out the door, looking for Bill. She had to find him.  
  
*****'  
  
Shortly after he had broken out of his reverie, Bill walked out the door. He didn't want to deal with Hermione right now, as she was probably just as embarrassed as he was about the whole thing, and he needed some time to think as well. He grabbed a coat before heading out from the Swan and Dragon, and unfortunately forgot to leave a note to Hermione.  
  
He quickly walked over to the other end of Fiddler's Fair, far away from the Inn, and found a bar. There, he sat down at a table, and ordered a Fire Whiskey. He definitely needed to get drunk out of his mind right now. Thinking was not an option he liked. He knocked back the Fire Whiskey, and quickly ordered another.  
  
"Bill? Iz that you?" A voice, heavy with a French accent asked.  
  
His head shot up, and he stared into the eyes of Fleur Delacour, standing in front of him, looking as beautiful as ever. He stared down at his glass, wondering if he was hallucinating or not, but that dream was broken by Fleur, who sat down across from him and leaned over the table.  
  
"Bill, it haz been zo long zince we saw each otherrr, I haf missed you zo much." She spoke quickly, looking deeply into his eyes. "Please, Bill, it waz a mistake, I waz drunk. Please I do not want us to be apart anymore." She pleaded.  
  
Bill just stared at her in disgust. How could she even think that he'd let her back into his life when she'd done what she did? He drained the second glass, and called for a third. When angry, some people scream and shout and hit other people. Bill just went very, very still, almost wooden  
  
"You're a cheating bitch, Fleur, but you're not an idiot, I'll grant you that. So how can you think I'm even going to look at your face again?" He asked quietly.  
  
Fleur flinched, but reached over and put her hand over his. Bill looked at it stonily, hand twitching a little.  
  
"Bill, we all make mistakes. Please forgive me for ziz one. I promise it will never happen again." She continued, starting to look desperate. "I want us to be togetherrr. We werrre meant to be togetherrr."  
  
Bill gave a short, sharp laugh. She was really something, pleading him to take her back, using so many clichés in one sentence that he was surprised she made it through without laughing at herself.  
  
"Cut the crap, Fleur. What happened? Your little boyfriend dumped you? Knocked you up and left you? Well, if you think I'll take you back and forgive you, trust me, you can't be more wrong." He said cynically. "Now fuck off, I'm getting drunk."  
  
Fleur stared at him, but then drew her hand back and stood up, glaring at him.  
  
"You arre making a mistake, Bill." She informed him coldly.  
  
He didn't even look up as she stormed out the door and into the busy street. He called for a fourth whiskey, intent on getting pissed out of his mind.  
  
*****'  
  
She had been everywhere; the university, where she'd had to avoid Robert the best she could, The café they ate breakfast at, Corwith's bookshop, and she still hadn't found him. She'd wandered through most of Fiddler's Fair, asking people if they'd seen him, but hadn't received a single positive answer. She was starting to despair as the dark sky grew even darker.  
  
Giving up all hopes of finding him, she sank down on the pavement, looked around her for a moment, and then began to cry. It began to rain, but she was too absorbed in her own misery to even notice.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill stumbled out of the bar, blinking owlishly. He had been steadily drinking for the last hours, not noticing that darkness fell, and had decided it was time to go back. He kept a small vial of Sobering Potion with him at all times, but right now it seemed like a good idea to be drunk, so he kept it in his pocket.  
  
He was halfway back to the Swan and Dragon when he stumbled over a small form sitting on the pavement. He peered down at it, noticing the T-shirt and the decided lack of coat, and suddenly recognized the mass of brown hair, identifying it as Hermione.  
  
He blinked stupidly for a moment, before putting his hand in his pocket and coming up with the potions. Drinking it up, he shuddered a little.  
  
"I'll never get used to that." He mumbled, and knelt beside Hermione.  
  
She was asleep, lying on the wet pavement with her arms wrapped around her, soaked to the skin. Wondering why the hell she was out in the rain, wearing only a T-shirt, he put an arm around her and pulled her up in a sitting position. She squirmed, but didn't wake up. Sighing, he put his other arm under her legs, and lifted her up.  
  
She unconsciously buried her face in the crook of his neck, making him vow to take a cold shower as soon as they got back, and continued sleeping. He set off towards the Inn, keeping his head down and Hermione sheltered as much as possible from the rain.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione was dreaming. She was dreaming of the first time she saw Bill, the summer before fourth year, at the Burrow. They were all standing out in the back yard, watching as Bill and Charlie knocked the flying tables together. They were laughing so hard, they were nearly crying.  
  
She smiled in her sleep, remembering how much she wanted to laugh too, but she didn't dare. She'd wanted to go wrap both of the older Weasley brothers in a hug, and laugh along with them, but she hadn't because Ron and Harry would make a big deal of it.  
  
She drifted off into dreamless sleep with the memory of Bill's laughter ringing in her head.  
  
*****'  
  
When he came to the Inn, everyone was asleep except him. He climbed the stairs to their room, and opened it. He walked into the bedroom, setting Hermione down on her bed, straightened up, and stared at her.  
  
Obviously, he'd need to take her clothes off, or she'd get sick. She'd get sick anyway, but it would be worse if she kept her wet clothes on. So, task number one was to change her clothes. Now, how did he go about that without loosing the last shreds of sanity he was desperately clinging to? Well, he'd just have to grit his teeth and do it. He was a grown man, after all.  
  
He'd gotten stuck with taking care of Ginny enough times when he was younger; why should this be any different? Oh, right, now he remembered; he wasn't head over heels in love with Ginny. He froze in the middle of the process of taking off Hermione's socks. He hadn't just thought that, had he?  
  
Nope, no luck this time; he had. Well, that was horrible and terrifying, but now that he'd gotten it over with, he might as well get on with his work. He pulled off her socks, and stopped again. The socks were the easy part.  
  
He swallowed hard, closed his eyes for a moment and then proceeded to take her clothes of as quickly as possible, trying not to stare too much. He wrapped her in a blanket, and put her under the covers. When he was done, he took a step back and stared at her again. He was surprised she hadn't woken up yet. Maybe she was just extremely tired.  
  
She was still shivering, even though she was dry now and the room was warm. Apparently that wasn't enough, so he racked his brain for other ways to get her warm. He'd taken Muggle Studies for fifth and sixth year, before dropping it in seventh year, and during those two years they'd had a survival class, teaching them how to survive in the wild without magic. There had been something about keeping others warm in case they got sick. Now all he had to do was remember what it was.  
  
When he did, he blushed so hard it was almost painful. He remembered the teacher telling them that the best way to keep someone warm was with body heat. Meaning he'd have to sleep in the same bed as Hermione if he didn't want her to get sick.  
  
Still blushing furiously, he pulled off his coat, shoes and socks, and crawled into bed next to the shivering girl, wrapping his arms around her, trying not to think about the fact that she was only wearing her underwear. Pretty soon, he was asleep, snoring softly.  
  
Too bad he hadn't remembered that he was long since out of Hogwarts and allowed to do magic over summer, or he would have remembered that he knew a perfectly adequate Heating Charm he could have used. Then again, maybe it wasn't that bad.  
  
*******'  
  
Ending Notes: *sniggers* Y'all going to love me for that one, eh? Hope you liked it. I apologize for Fleur's accent; it was horrible, but I couldn't write it any better. I know Hermione sleeping through the whole thing is unbelievable, but it didn't work any other way. 


	8. Breaking of the Curse

I'm so sorry for the long wait; I would have updated much earlier, but ff.net was down, so I couldn't, and then I got some new drawing materials.   
  
I went into drawing-frenzy, and drew like ten pictures a day. I am now the proud owner of two competed Harry Potter-fanarts, none of them including Harry Potter. (I have a habit of drawing Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and my OC. All Slytherins. See, I knew there was something wrong with me.) The damn pictures took six hours each to complete, so I had no time left to write.   
  
But enough excuses; we need to find out what happens, right?  
  
*********'  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning to the steady thud of a heartbeat. She opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was sitting down on the pavement, crying. If that was the last thing she'd done, then how come she was lying in a bed, hopefully her own, with someone beside her? Or an even better question, who was that beside her?  
  
She turned her head, trying to see who it was, but ended up looking into someone's rather creased shirt. She turned her head again, and a few strands of long red hair fell into her face. She blinked; trying to remember someone she knew who had long red hair. The closest she came was Ginny Weasley, but Ginny wasn't here. She was in Italy, and Ginny wasn't. And then it hit her; Bill.   
  
But what in the world was Bill doing in her bed?   
  
Wait.   
  
Bill.   
  
In her bed.   
  
Hermione did the first thing that came to her panicked mind; she screamed. Bill arms, which had been around her, jerked away immediately, and in doing so, lifted the covers, revealing to Hermione that she was only wearing what was strictly necessary. She screamed again.   
  
*****'  
  
He had been having a wonderful dream; that he was sleeping in Hermione's bed, until he was awakened by a scream, loud enough to make him wince and clutch his hands over his ears. Silence returned for a few second, and then the second scream came. He opened his eyes and stared straight at Hermione's face.   
  
So it hadn't been a dream. For a second, he panicked, thinking about what had happened, but then he took in his fully clothed state, and breathed a sigh of relief. And then he started to chuckle quietly. She instantly stopped screaming, and stared at him in disbelief.   
  
"What's so damn funny?" She demanded while clutching the covers around her.   
  
"Your face, ´Mione." He got out.   
  
"Bill, I'm only going to ask this once, so listen carefully; WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED?" She shouted.   
  
"Easy now ´Mione; no need to freak out. I found you on the pavement, asleep." He said, wincing.   
  
"That does not explain why you are in my bed, assuming that it is my bed." She told him, fighting to keep her voice calm.   
  
"Oh, it's your bed alright." Bill assured her, "Like I said, I found you on the pavement, and brought you back here. You were wet and cold, so I had to take off your clothes, or you'd freeze to death. But thing is, you were still shivering afterwards, and I remembered a few survival lessons I'd taken about keeping someone warm. It requires body heat, you see, so I had to sleep in the same bed." He explained quickly, not liking the murderous look on her face.   
  
"Bill, you bloody idiot! Why didn't you use a heating charm? You're out of Hogwarts, for crying out loud!" She snapped.   
  
"Forgot?" He tried, grinning apologetically.   
  
"The scary part is, you probably did." She muttered, glaring at him. "Now, can you please get out, while I get dressed?"   
  
"Oh, um right." Bill mumbled, blushing.   
  
He quickly got out of the bed, trying not to stare too much. When he was out the door, he slammed it shut and started banging his head against the wall. He should not have done that. He had been extremely stupid in not remembering the charm. He had been amazingly bad at explaining why he ended up in her bed. But then again, if he had remembered the charm, he wouldn't have ended up in her bed.   
  
"Damn, that's not what I was supposed to think!" He muttered darkly and banged his head against the wall a few more times, just for good measure.   
  
*******'  
  
Hermione stared at the door, slightly out breath from screaming, still lying on the bed. She couldn't believe she had spent the night in the same bed as Bill. The blush on her cheeks was painful, and she was clutching the covers around her. Muttering curses under her breath, she got up and started dressing, contemplating ways to kill Bill.   
  
She couldn't even remember why she had been on the pavement, crying her heart out last night, yet there she had been, and Bill had found her there when she'd fallen asleep and taken her back to her own bed. She tried to recall why, by the memory kept slipping away, making her grow even more irritated.   
  
She slipped on her shirt, and reached down for her socks, glancing on the bedside table while doing so. The biography was still lying there, opened on the same page as last night. She skimmed the first few lines, and re-read it one more time. And another. She had found why she'd been sleeping on the pavement last night. Grabbing the book, she raced out the door to find Bill.   
  
She halted as soon as she'd shut the door, and stared at him. He was standing next to the door, banging his head against the wall. She raised an eyebrow, and then cleared her throat. He lifted his head of the wall, and stared at her.   
  
"Bill, what are you doing?" She asked.   
  
"Nothing." He mumbled. "I'm busy knocking myself out."   
  
"Well, I'll leave you to it then. I just thought you'd want to know how the break the spell, but oh well, another time." She said lightly and shrugged, turning away.   
  
She hadn't taken more than two steps when Bill started speaking; now sounding completely calm and focused.   
  
"Stop. Turn. Explain." He said.   
  
"Well, last night, I started reading the biography again, and I stumbled on this." She held out the book for him to see.   
  
Bill snatched the book and started reading, stopping every now and then to throw his messy hair back over his shoulder. When he was finished, he looked up at Hermione with a huge grin on his face.   
  
"You did it, ´Mione." He said. "Now let's go see if it works." ¨  
  
He grabbed her hand, which seemed to be a bad habit of his, and dragged her out the door. It was all she could do to keep up.   
  
*****'  
  
They reached the university faster than they ever had before, and Bill knocked on the library door. No one opened, so he pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, and dragged Hermione inside.   
  
He dragged her down the stairs, nose deep in the book, muttering to himself. Halfway down he stopped and looked at her.   
  
"What's the incantation?" He asked.   
  
"Aurora Borealis, duh. Our friend Tomas Larsson wasn't a very complicated man." She said, rolling her eyes.   
  
"So, all we need to do is drop some blood on the chest and say ´Borealis Aurora´? But that's too simple!" He said. "And besides, hiding your greatest secret in your biography isn't a very smart thing to do. What if someone found it?"   
  
"Well, you know what they say." She smiled.   
  
"No, what do they say?" He stopped again, puzzled.   
  
"´If you want to hide something, hide it in plain view´." She quoted.   
  
"Bloody illogical Muggle-sayings." He muttered and started downwards again.   
  
Only when they were in the cellar, standing in front of the chest, Bill let go of her hand. He handed her the book, and started digging through his pocket. After some times searching, he pulled out a penknife with a triumphant grin. With it, he nicked his finger, and let the blood drop onto the chest. He held out his hand, and she handed him his wan, which he had given her on the way there. He pointed it at the chest, and cleared his throat.   
  
"You might want to step back and shut your eyes, ´Mione." He told her.   
  
She did so, and watched him from a corner of the room.   
  
"Borealis Aurora." He said clearly.   
  
A blue light shot out of his wand and hit the chest, making it flash red, then yellow and then white. The light grew in intensity until it was impossible to look at without going blind, and they both turned their backs to the chest. Finally, it faded again, leaving them half-blind but alive.   
  
Bill turned around again, quickly followed by Hermione, and the two of them stared at the chest. It looked just the same as before, but as they watched, it gave an audible click, and the lid moved a fraction of an inch, but far enough for them to see it.   
  
"We did it!" Bill exclaimed, turning around and wrapping Hermione in a hug, nearly dancing with joy.   
  
She hugged back, laughing out loud, happy to be rid of the burden of tedious research. Tears of relief streamed down her face, and she felt like climbing on top of the highest tower she could find and shout out her joy to the rest of the world.   
  
"´Mione? Are you crying? Is something wrong?" Bill noticed her tears, and stopped smiling suddenly.   
  
"No, nothing's wrong at all! I'm crying because I'm happy, silly." She explained to him, grinning hugely through her tears.   
  
"Good; I hate to see you cry." He murmured in her ear as he hugged her closer.   
  
Hermione blinked, bewildered. Someone had deemed it necessary to drop reality back onto her head, and she realized she was being hugged rather fiercely by Bill Weasley, who had just confessed he hated to see her cry. She leaned back a bit and stared at him.   
  
He stared back, not saying a word. In the dark cellars his blue eyes seemed to sparkle even more than usual, and his long hair looked closer to crimson than the faded red it actually was. Slowly, as if afraid to scare her, he inched closer, all the while looking into her eyes. When he was only inches away, Hermione closed her eyes.   
  
She couldn't believe that Bill was kissing her. And damn, it was a good kiss. How come no one had kissed her like this before? She'd only ever dated Viktor Krum and Terry Boot, once at the beginning of sixth year, and to tell the truth, none of them were very good kissers. Her train of thought was interrupted by yet another kiss, and she kissed back, never wanting this moment to end.   
  
Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, echoing through the cellars, closer and closer to them. Bill lifted his head instantly, and stared at her for a few seconds before realizing what had happened. He blushed brightly, and let go of her.   
  
"Sorry." He mumbled, and turned to face however was coming.   
  
She stared at him, open mouthed. He was sorry? For what? Kissing her? Why was he sorry about kissing her? Was he daft? She'd kissed him back for crying out loud! And he still seemed to believe it was something to be sorry for. Without another second hesitation, she reached out and grabbed his hand.   
  
He started and jerked his head around to stare at her. His gaze travelled from her face to their joined hands, and he relaxed somewhat. He gave her hand a squeeze and took a step closer to her, glancing over his shoulder to see whoever it was approaching.   
  
The librarian came into view, talking to someone else. Bill shot her a glance, and she raised an eyebrow. The librarian had never been down in the cellars while they were there, not since the first day.   
  
"Ah, Bill, just who I was looking for!" The mysterious second person exclaimed as soon as he spotted them.   
  
Bill grinned, and Hermione soon followed suit.   
  
"Kingsley Shacklebolt! I haven't seen you in ages!" Bill exclaimed, holding out his hand to the man.   
  
"It's only been six months, Bill. How're you doing? And who's this?" He turned to Hermione. "No, wait, don't tell me; I've seen this young lady before. Hermione Granger, am I right?" He continued.   
  
"Yes Mr Shacklebolt." Hermione replied politely.   
  
"Call me Kingsley; everyone else does. But Bill, I was looking for you. I need some building plans that you've got, and since I was in Rome anyway, I thought I'd drop by." Kingsley explained.   
  
"Yeah, right, Kings'. I bet Mum sent you to check up on me." Bill chuckled, and Kingsley looked a bit surprised at getting a nickname.   
  
"Oh, don't mind him, Kingsley; he insists that everyone should have a nickname, whether they like it or not. I ended up as ´Mione, for some reason." She shrugged.   
  
"Aye, he has a bad habit, that's true. But Bill, I really need those building plans. It can wait though; what's going on here?" He looked over their shoulders at the chest.   
  
Bill straightened up and pulled Hermione closer to him, putting an arm around her shoulder and grinning proudly.   
  
"We just broke the Borealis Curse." He told Kingsley.   
  
"You did what? But no one knows how to do that!" The librarian asked, staring at them slack-jawed.   
  
"It was ´Mione. She found an old biography and figured out how to break the spell." Bill said proudly, hugging her closer to him.   
  
Kingsley congratulated them and grinned a little looking at Hermione and Bill standing so close together. It seemed like the brown haired girl had caught the Weasley who had been doomed to be a bachelor until he died. Hopefully, that would not be the case now.   
  
*******'  
  
A few hours later, they finally escaped the university grounds. The librarian had sneaked off somewhere in the middle of their conversation with Kingsley, and had apparently called the Fiddler's Fair version of the Daily Prophet. As soon as they came out of the cellars, carrying the now deactivated chest, they had been swarmed with reporters asking them about how they'd broken the curse and who they were and a whole heap of other questions.   
  
They delivered the chest to the local Gringotts office and headed back to the Swan and Dragon. People shot them a few curious glances on their way back, some even pointed and whispered, but Bill and Hermione, who were oblivious to the fact that they were still holding hands, didn't notice. They were dusty and covered in cobweb, but ignored this as they walked through the streets of Fiddler's Fair.   
  
Bill slammed the door to their rooms shut and leaned against it, sighing in relief. He opened his eyes and looked at Hermione, smiling.   
  
"We did it, ´Mione. We did it. I can't believe it; we broke the Borealis Curse!" He caught her in another hug.   
  
"Yes, we did it Bill. Now can you please stop saying that? You've been repeating it for the last few hours." She laughed, hugging him back.   
  
"I know, but I just can't believe it! Thanks for the help, ´Mione." He said, kissing her on the cheek. "But I have a question."   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"Why did you let me kiss you?" He stepped back, looking at her uncertainly.   
  
Hermione had to suppress a smile; he looked like a lost little boy with that expression, so different from the man who had helped defeat Voldemort. She could still remember how he had looked that day; the ponytail messy and streaked with blood, those wonderful blue eyes dull with exhaustion and fear, a fresh cut across his cheek, bleeding slowly. If she concentrated and looked closely, she could still see the traces of the scar.   
  
Smiling, she leaned up to his ear, wrapping her arms around him.   
  
"Because I you wanted to." She whispered softly.   
  
******'  
  
Ending Notes; Alrighties, it's a short chapter, I know. But be happy, damnit! They kissed, didn't they? I'm sorry this took so long; ff.net was down. 


	9. The Granger Reaction

Here we go then. Bill and Hermione are together, everything is fine. But it can't end there, can it? No, it can't, I am continuing.   
  
******'  
  
It was a week left before they were going back to England, a week they spent either hiding in their rooms, writing letters, getting to know each other better, and inevitably, snogging, or in Corwith's bookshop. It seemed like the local newspapers wanted interviews or pictures every time they stepped out the door. Of course, breaking the Borealis Curse was sensational news, but after a while it got tiring.   
  
Hermione used the time to catch up on her summer homework, writing essays and doing even more research. Bill wrote his reports and answered letters from his friends and family. The week passed faster than either of them could have anticipated, and soon they were standing outside the Swan and Dragon, with their trunks behind hem and their tickets in hand.   
  
"Alright, the plane leaves in about half an hour, so we better be going." Bill informed her.   
  
"Yes, Bill, I know. You've told me several times. What's wrong? You don't act like this normally." Hermione took his hand.   
  
"Well, I'm worried about breaking this to Mum and Dad, not to mention my siblings." He confessed.   
  
"Well, I don't know about your brothers and your father, but I know Ginny will probably give me hug, and then give you a hug, and then return to me and yell at me because I didn't tell her sooner. Your Mum will probably yell at both of us, me for not taking care of myself, since she secretly want me to end up with Ron, and you for being a cradle snatcher." She finished, grinning at him, and he actually had the grace to blush.   
  
"How'd you know she wants you with Ron?" He asked, trying to change the subject.   
  
"Just a hunch. Every time we see each other, she hints that I should get a boyfriend, glancing at Ron. Trust me, Bill, she wants me with Ron. But that isn't going to happen." She assured him.   
  
Bill didn't reply, but squeezed her hand tightly as they started walking through Fiddler's Fair. People seemed to have forgotten that they had been in the paper only a week earlier, and left them alone, save for a few curious glances.   
  
*******'  
  
The plane ride was just as tedious and boring as the first time, and Hermione fell asleep against Bill's shoulder. He simply smiled and put an arm around her shoulder, his chin on her hair and continued reading the book she'd leant him. A pair across from them pointed at them and whispered to each other.   
  
"Look at them. We used to be just like that, it's so sweet." The woman whispered, just loud enough for Bill to hear her.   
  
He smiled and held Hermione closer, placing a kiss on her hair. It was unbelievable, everything that had happened over the last four weeks. He had laughed at people who used the term ´falling fast and hard´ when referring to love, and called them foolish. It would appear that he was now equally foolish. He had fallen in love with Hermione.   
  
He still couldn't believe she even wanted to be close to him, let alone let him kiss her. To think she would love him was too much to hope for, especially this early in their relationship. He hadn't told her yet, because he didn't want to scare her off. Besides, he'd fancied himself in love with Fleur Delacour, and told her so, and she'd turned on him and slept with one of his few friends.   
  
He didn't want to be hurt again, and even though Hermione assured him time and time again that she would never leave him the same way Fleur had, he wasn't sure at all. He knew no one was perfect, but in his eyes at least, Hermione was so close it was scary. And why she wanted to be with him, dirt poor Weasley who forgot to shave very once in a while, went beyond his comprehension.   
  
Deciding that such gloomy thoughts could wait until later, and that he should at least enjoy it while it lasted, he went back to his book, trying to understand the concept of ´fantasy´ literature. Muggles clearly had some confused ideas about magic in general, and wizards in particular.   
  
*****'  
  
"Hermione? We've arrived."   
  
Hermione blinked sleepily, and looked up to see Bill standing over her, noticing that he'd forgotten to shave again. She smiled and stood up herself. He grabbed her hand and led her down the aisle. She noticed the shoulder of his shirt was damp, and raised an eyebrow.   
  
"What happened to your shirt?" She asked, gesturing to his shoulder.   
  
He glanced at it, and chuckled.   
  
"You happened. You drool when you sleep." He said, grinning.   
  
"Oh, Gods. I wonder if the floor would open up and swallow me if I asked it to?" She mumbled to herself. "Well, it'll disappear when you wash it."   
  
"Who says I'm going to wash it? It's not every day I have the honour of having a beautiful woman drool over me." He said, shooting her a mischievous look.   
  
She blushed at the comment, but stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh aloud. A few of the Muggles around them turned and stared, but otherwise ignored them.   
  
When they walked out to the parking lot, they were still holding hands, Bill carrying their trunks and Hermione looking around for her parents, who had promised to come and pick her up. She spotted their car, and dragged Bill with her towards it.   
  
"Mum, Dad!" She exclaimed, waving her free hand.   
  
"Hermione! We've missed you so much!" He mother exclaimed and threw her arms around her daughter.   
  
Hermione hugged her back, without letting go of Bill's hand. Bill on the other hand, didn't want to be slaughtered by Hermione's father, and tried to pry his fingers loose. But to avail; Hermione refused to let go. Her parents noticed of course, and took a step back, looking at the two of them uncertainly.   
  
Finally Hermione seemed to realize that she was still holding Bill's hand tightly, but instead of letting go, like he thought she would, she held on tighter. He gave Mr and Mrs Granger a hesitant smile, while they stared at him.   
  
"Mum, Dad, I've got something to tell you." Hermione said.   
  
"What is it, dear?"   
  
"Well, you've got to promise not to get mad or anything, before I tell you."   
  
"We promise, now what is it?" Her mother asked impatiently.   
  
"Remember, you promised. It's like this; Bill and I are together now. And that's all." She finished, voice trembling a little.   
  
Her father glared at Bill, who felt like cowering behind Hermione, but stood his ground. Her mother had clapped a hand over her mouth and looked from her daughter to her daughters newly found boyfriend and back again.   
  
Her father stepped closer to Bill, and glared at him intensely. Bill gulped, but didn't look away.   
  
"How old are you boy?" He asked, nearly growling n anger.   
  
"Twenty-six." Bill answered weakly.   
  
"And Hermione is only seventeen! How dare you!" Her father asked threateningly.   
  
"Eighteen." Hermione interjected.   
  
"What? Hermione you're seventeen, I should know." Her mother said, looking at her sternly.   
  
"No, Mum, I'm eighteen. It's a long story, but I'm legally eighteen, so you can't actually decide what I can do and what I can't." Hermione explained calmly.   
  
"Wait, Ron told me something about this." Bill interrupted, forgetting he was supposed to be afraid of her father, "In your third year at Hogwarts, you used a Time-Turner right?"   
  
"Exactly. So telling him I'm seventeen won't help, Dad. Besides, you were older than he is when you met Mum, and she was only sixteen." Hermione shot at her father.   
  
He bristled, and opened his mouth to snap back, but faltered. He looked at his wife and sighed heavily.   
  
"Hermione, honey, you know that was a low blow. We're only worried about you; we don't want you to get hurt." Her father said, looking apologetic.   
  
Hermione threw her arms around him, finally letting go of Bill's hand, and hugged him.  
  
"It's alright, Dad, I know you're worried, but I can take care of myself." She said, smiling.   
  
Her father hugged her back, and then her mother took over. After they were done, Hermione took hold of Bill's hand again, and they walked towards the car. Bill helped her father put their trunks inside and they were off to the Granger residence.   
  
*****'  
  
Even though her parents offered to let him stay in the house, Bill told them that he had to get back and leave a report to his superior, and that he needed to look into his flat, which had been standing empty for six weeks. He hadn't been in there before they went to Rome, and had barely even unpacked when he got it, immediately being sent on a new job.   
  
As soon as he left, her father excused himself, saying that he had to get to work, and her mother took her on a shopping trip, which sooner than she anticipated turned into a mother-daughter talk, concerning Bill.   
  
"Are you sure he isn't taking advantage of you, dear?" Was her first question.   
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at her mother's worry, knowing immediately who ´he´ was.   
  
"Mum, if anyone is taking advantage of anyone in this relationship, it's me. You should have seen him after we kissed the first time. He looked so miserable, blaming himself, thinking that he' forced himself on me. And he's Bill, for crying out loud. He couldn't hurt a fly if he tried." She told her mother.   
  
"But he is older than you." Her mother warned, "He might leave you for someone else, and then where would you be?"   
  
"What does his age have to do with him leaving me?" Hermione asked, but continued before her mother could reply, "As for leaving me, he would never do that. Maybe he would, but then he'd let me down gently, since he knows all too well how it feels to be rejected."   
  
"He does?" Her mother asked, instantly curious.   
  
"I don't want to talk about it. It's private, Mum, and I promised not to tell anyone. But he wouldn't leave me for someone else, I'm sure of that. Besides, if he did, I'd hex him six ways to hell." She shrugged.   
  
"Oh, alright then, I'll stop worrying. But did he say about having a flat?" Her mother continued, now looking extremely curious.   
  
Hermione rolled her eyes again, and slumped forward on the table they were sitting at.   
  
"Oh, Mum!" She said.   
  
*****'  
  
Bill stepped into his empty flat, surveying the white walls silently. In the middle of the room, dumped on the floor, was the small heap containing his belongings. There had been no time to pack when he got the order from Gringotts, and he always travelled light in any case.   
  
He knelt in front of the heap, looking at it closely. There were his extra shirts, and his patched and stained trousers, having been worn so many times that if he held them up to the night sky, he would be able to see the starts through them. There was the small mirror he always carried around when excavating in the desert, not because he was vain, but because by reflecting the sun off it, making the sunlight hit something on those buried tombs, was sometimes the only way to open them.   
  
Peaking out in the very bottom of the heap was a blanket, dusty and torn on places, which had warmed him though many cold desert nights. There was his trusty penknife, always there when he needed it. He sighed, looked at the heap one last time, and stood up again.   
  
His footsteps echoed as he walked through the flat, looking at the empty rooms, occasionally stopping to open a window or pick up some old paper scraps off the floor. He soon found himself leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, hands in his pockets, thinking.   
  
He'd have to get some furniture. He'd been informed by his superiors that he could, no, needed, to take a break from working. They said he'd been working constantly since they employed him, with the exception of a few short breaks to visit his family or help the Order.   
  
He had several weeks of leave, giving him enough time to tell his family about Hermione, tell Hermione that he loved her, and a lot of time to spare for fretting to pieces about it. The only problem he had now was coming up with a way of how to tell her. Or his family, for that matter; Ron would go spare.   
  
He would go absolutely bloody spare. He'd go totally mad. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to blows. His little brother had a notorious hot temper, and even though he was both stronger and more experienced than Ron, it wouldn't be nice having to fight him. He loved his brother dearly, but some times, he could be such a thick headed idiot.   
  
Sighing, he walked out the door, snatching his coat along the way. He might as well distract himself by buying some furniture. He shut his eyes, willing for the vision of Hermione's smiling face to go away. Yes, he definitely needed something to distract him right now.   
  
******'  
  
Hermione was fully intending to spend the rest of the day sitting cuddled up by her window, reading a good book and daydreaming about Bill, when her mother called from downstairs. Sighing, she put down the book and headed down the stairs, wondering what her mother could possibly want now.   
  
"What is it Mum?" She called, halfway down.   
  
"Claire's here to see you." Her mother called back.   
  
She quickened her steps; Claire was one of the few Muggle friends she could still get along with, even though Claire didn't know about the more magical aspects of her life. Claire had been a good friend, laughing with her when she was happy, comforting her when she was sad. She was a female version of Harry and Ron, really. She could still remember all the times when they used to go out together during the summer, transforming from sweet little girls to the official heirs to the Marauder's throne.   
  
"Claire!" She shouted, holding out her arms to the dark haired girl by the door, nearly skipping down the last few steps.   
  
"Hermione! Where have you been?" Claire exclaimed, hugging her.   
  
"Mum, I'm going out with Claire!" She shouted back into the house as she grabbed her shoes, and hopping on one leg, put them on.   
  
When she was done, she turned to Claire, smiling. She threw her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, grinning widely.   
  
"Have I got news for you, Claire." She told the girl.   
  
"I don't know, have you?" Claire asked, eyes twinkling.   
  
"Oh, I do, but maybe we should start with any questions you have, and go from there."   
  
"Well, I was kinda wondering where you've been." Claire admitted.   
  
"In Rome." Hermione grinned.   
  
"You've been in Rome? No fair! I've wanted to go there all my life, and then you slip off without as much as a phone call? Injustice!" Claire shouted, although grinning.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, but when the chance comes by, why not jump at it?" Hermione asked.   
  
"Whatever. So what did you do there?" Claire asked, curious.   
  
"I worked, Claire. I worked."   
  
"Worked? Why did you work when you were in one of the most romantic cities in the world? Hermione, you are so strange!" Claire accused, shaking her head.   
  
"I know, but you like me anyway. I worked, because hat's what I came there to do. And as for ´most romantic place in the world´, well, maybe. I know it worked wonders for my love life, anyway." She smiled dreamily.   
  
"What? You're kidding! Hermione's got a boyfriend! I can't believe it! I've waited so long for this moment! You're first boyfriend, Hermione, aren't you excited?" Claire asked, nearly bouncing up and down.   
  
"It's not my first boyfriend, he's my third, but yes, I'm excited, because this time I think it'll last." Hermione said, grinning at her energetic friend.   
  
"You've had two other boyfriends? Hermione, why didn't you tell me; I'm your best friend! Come on, we'll get an ice-cream, and you'll tell me about your boyfriend." She ordered, and dragged Hermione off towards an ice-cream stand.   
  
*******'  
  
Ending Notes; and that's that. I'm still not sure whether to let them break it to the Weasley family over summer, or wait until school begins. Why don't you tell me what you think? 


	10. He Loves Her

Here we go again. Let's see the Weasley-reaction, shall we? This chapter will be longer than I anticipated.   
  
Ryunne Inverse, thank you for the idea for this chapter. You know what I mean.   
  
*****'  
  
  
  
The annual invitation to the Burrow arrived the next day. Hermione had spent every day since she came home with Claire. Thankfully, the dark haired girl was in the bathroom when the letter arrived, and therefore could ask no questions. Pig arrived through the window, hooting happily, like the mentally retarded owl he was.   
  
She took the letter, gave Pig an owl-treat and sent him on his way again. If she needed to send a reply, she could use Hettar. She sat down in a chair in the living room and started to read the letter.   
  
Hermione  
  
Mum said you're welcome to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Harry's coming too. We've missed you; you haven't answered our letters. Your mum did, though. She said you were away with a friend of yours. Maybe you could tell us who it was when you come.  
  
Ron.   
  
"Oh, who's Ron? And why is he missing you?" Claire's voice asked from behind her.   
  
Hermione jumped and spun around in her seat. Her friend was standing right behind her, reading over her shoulder.   
  
"He and Harry are my best friends at school. I guess that's why." She shrugged.   
  
"What's ´the Burrow´?" Claire sounded extremely curious now.   
  
"His family's house. He's got six siblings; five older brothers and one younger sister." She explained. "His parents are the sweetest you'll ever see; always caring about their children, and even though they have very little money, they always buy the best they can for them."   
  
"That's so cute! Well, are you going?" Claire exclaimed, jumping up and down before settling down in the second chair.   
  
"I think so; I go every year. And besides, it'll be easier to meet Bill there. Bill is Ron's oldest brother." She added at Claire's puzzled look.   
  
"Wait, you never told me how old this Bill is." Claire broke in, holding up a hand.   
  
"Twenty-six." She admitted, blushing.   
  
"Twenty-six? And your parents are ok with this?" Claire wondered.   
  
"Yes, after I convinced them that Bill wasn't a horrible old cradle-snatcher and that he wouldn't take advantage of me. It took a while, but they got it."   
  
"I never knew you'd like older men, Hermione. But I guess it's only logical; nobody our age would ever be able to keep up with you. So, why did he write you a letter instead of calling you up?" She wanted to know.   
  
"He hasn't got a phone." Hermione lied quickly.   
  
It wasn't exactly a lie, since unless Arthur Weasley had liberated one, they had no phone.   
  
"Oh. So, can I come?" She asked eagerly.  
  
"I'm afraid not; they haven't got room for more than me. But next time I go, I'll see if they can make room for you." Hermione promised.   
  
Claire thanked her, threatened her that if she didn't tell more of her friends and her school, she'd be dead before sunrise, and left Hermione alone to think about the letter.   
  
Of course, she wanted to go. She hadn't seen Ron and Harry all summer, and Ginny was nearly as good a friend as the boys. But that meant she'd have to face Bill too. She had no problems with Bill, in fact, she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless the next time she saw him, but that would be in front of his family, who didn't know about the two of them, an in front of Ron, who Bill was convinced had a crush on her.   
  
The only way out of it seemed to be keeping their relationship secret until she could make clear to Ron that there could never be anything between the two of them. Not that she could keep away from Bill in the meantime. But the Burrow had enough little closets to hide in if it became necessary, she thought with an evil grin.   
  
*****'  
  
Bill stood in his living room looking at the new furniture he had bought, when an owl came swooping in through the open window. He took the letter and gave it something to eat, and before he had had time to see if the letter needed a reply, it was gone. Puzzled, he started reading the letter.   
  
Dear Bill.   
  
It's Hermione. I have some things to tell you. Firstly, I've received an invitation to the Burrow. Are you going to be there? Silly me, I know you are, you told me so. But what I really wanted to know was how we should tell your family about us.   
  
I'm thinking we should keep it a secret, at least until I've convinced Ron that there can never be anything between the two of us besides friendship. Not that I am going to keep away from you in the meantime.   
  
So what do you say? You don't need to reply to this, since I am sure Hettar left immediately to deliver the letter to Ron. We can talk about it at the Burrow.   
  
Sincerely (because I have no idea how to end a letter)  
  
Hermione  
  
He chuckled. She was so much like him; both of the had a tendency to rant about things long after everyone else stopped caring, and none of them had any idea how to write a letter properly.   
  
He tried to suppress his excitement at seeing her at the Burrow, but failed, making him feel like he was fifteen years old again. He folded the letter again, and walked over to the calendar hanging on the wall, trying to figure out how many days were left before he could see her again.   
  
He set to work refurnishing his flat, all the while whistling under his breath. Without even noticing, he was whistling the song Hermione had played for him the day she showed him what a stereo was.   
  
******'  
  
After a tearful goodbye to Claire, Hermione threw a pinch of Floo-powder in the fire place and called ´the Burrow´. She stepped in, and seconds later, she stumbled out into the living room at the Burrow, covered in soot and coughing. Now she remembered why she hated travelling by Floo.   
  
She was just dusting herself off when Fred stuck his head into the living room, looking for the source of the noise. When he saw Hermione, he grinned widely.   
  
"Hermione! Now I know one boy who will be happy! Ron, Hermione's here!" He shouted up the stairs.   
  
"Oh, no. Fred, please don't tell me he has a crush on me." She whispered to herself, too low for Fred to hear her.   
  
Ron came running in with Harry behind him, and enveloped her in a rib-cracking hug. The two boys laughed at her appearance, and helped her dust herself off.   
  
"Hermione! We haven't seen you in ages, and you didn't return our letters! Where were you?" Ron asked, grinning.   
  
"With one of my Muggle friends. Let's go see if we can find Ginny now, shall we?" She asked, avoiding answering the question fully.   
  
She caught Harry blushing at the mention of Ginny's name, and grinned to herself; no matter how much Ginny denied that she still had a crush on Harry, Hermione was sure she had, and even though Harry hadn't gone out with anyone since Cho, she'd caught him looking at Ginny more than once when he thought no one was looking.   
  
She dragged them out of the room, but not before giving Fred, and George who appeared suddenly, a hug each. Over the years, the Weasley siblings had become more than just friends of hers. Now, she thought of them as the closest thing to brothers and sisters she'd ever have. The twins hugged her back and then disappeared up the stairs, probably to plan something for their joke-shop.   
  
Out in the kitchen, she went over to give Molly Weasley a hug, and then moved on to Percy, who was sitting at the table, reading the Daily Prophet. He absently hugged her back, eyes never leaving the paper.   
  
Charlie, who was taking a break from dragons, since the last one had tired to make a barbecue out of him, came in from the garden. He spotted Hermione and waved. Charlie was still single; on the ground that he hadn't met anyone ´who could understand him´ yet.   
  
"Hiya, Hermione. Long time, no see, how are you doing?" He asked, while hugging her.   
  
"I'm fine Charlie." She hugged back, chuckling.   
  
"What about me? Do I get a hug?"   
  
Hermione spun around and spotted Bill standing in the doorway, grinning. She walked over to him, and looked at him.  
  
"Hmm, alright. But just because everyone else did." She said and hugged him too.   
  
"Gee thanks, I feel so loved." Bill retorted.   
  
"Don't be so sarcastic, it doesn't suit you." She said, letting go of him reluctantly. "Now, where's Ginny? I haven't seen her yet."   
  
"I'm right, here, Hermione, now come and give me a hug and don't waste time with my hopeless fang-eared brother." The girl said from behind Bill.   
  
"I'm still in the room, you know." Bill protested.   
  
Ginny ignored him and hugged Hermione, and then proceeded to drag her out of the room, claiming that she had ´girl-stuff´ to discuss with her friend. Helplessly, Hermione mouthed ´Help me! ´ to the boys in the kitchen, who only chuckled.   
  
******'  
  
Ginny deposited both of them on her bed, and grinned at Hermione, Inwardly, Hermione heaved a sighed; she knew what was coming of course. Questions about whether or not she had a boyfriend, and how she was going to get one.   
  
"So, Hermione, did you know that my ickle brother Ronniekins has a crush on you?" The redheaded girl asked, eyes twinkling.   
  
Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that. She had tried to convince herself that it possibly couldn't be that way, but when his own sister told her, she couldn't deny it any longer. She buried her face in her hands and groaned.   
  
"No! Please tell me you are joking, Ginny." She pleaded, to no avail.   
  
"No, I'm not joking. But what's wrong? I thought you'd be happy. Ron isn't that bad, you know." She said.   
  
"There's nothing wrong with Ron. It's just that I don't see him in that light; he's more of a brother to me. I could never be his girlfriend, never." She said, slumping back on the bed.   
  
"Really, now? Have you got a boyfriend you haven't told me about?" Ginny asked, looking curious.   
  
"No."  
  
"So you don't want to be with Ron, but you haven't got anyone else? Why don't we fix you p with someone, then?" The redhead asked.   
  
"No, Ginny, I don't want to. If I get a boyfriend, it's going to be because I chose him myself." She said, sighing.   
  
If Ginny only knew that if she could, she would go straight down the stairs, and kiss Bill senseless. It took every bit of self-discipline she had not to blurt out everything to Ginny.   
  
*****'  
  
Bill was staring out into thin air, daydreaming about a certain brown-haired girl, and therefore didn't notice his twin brothers sneaking up on him until they threw a discarded marble on his head. He jumped and glared at them, rubbing his head.   
  
"What was that for?" He grumbled.   
  
"Ickle Bill is daydreaming." They chorused, grinning madly.   
  
"I'm not." He protested. "I'm thinking."   
  
"Ah, Bill has a girlfriend!" Fred said, still grinning.   
  
"No I don't." He said. "If you must know, I'm thinking about my next assignment. So kindly leave me alone." He said, scowling at them.   
  
The twins laughed and ran upstairs again. From the way they acted, no one could guess they were twenty years old. He went back to hi daydreaming, not noticing that he was whistling again.   
  
*****'  
  
The day passed quickly, and soon they were gathered around a table in the backyard, much like they had before the Quidditch World Cup. As luck would have it, Hermione ended up seated between Ginny and Bill, with Ron right across from her, next to Harry.   
  
Halfway through the meal, she felt someone's foot on her own, and she looked up, puzzled. She saw Ron looking at her from across the table, a smug look on his face. Annoyed, she moved her legs out of the way, quickly. After shooting a dark look at Ron, she turned to Bill, asking him something about his new job in England.   
  
Ron didn't give up, however. Next time his foot came close to her own, she kicked him, and moved her legs again. This time, he gave up, but when she glanced at him across the table, she saw he had a determined look on his face, making her curse inwardly.   
  
******'  
  
The next day, she finally got Bill for herself. They ran into each other in the hallway, when everyone else was still in the kitchen eating breakfast, or outside, de-gnoming the garden. She took hold of his arm, and pulled him to face her.   
  
"Bill, we need to come up with a way to get Ron to realize that I don't want him." She said in a low voice.   
  
"Not here, come on." He whispered and led her down the hallway.  
  
He pulled her into a broom closet, and closed the door behind them. He turned to her, and couldn't resist pulling her into a hug. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contently.   
  
"Now, what about Ron?" Bill asked.   
  
She told him about what had happened at dinner last night, and muttered curses under his breath for a long time afterwards.   
  
"My brother deserves a good beating. Now, ask Ginny for help; she knows what she's doing." Bill advised her.   
  
"Alright." Hermione whispered and made for the door again.   
  
She was grabbed by Bill as soon as her hand was on the door handle. He pulled her back and grinned at her.   
  
"You didn't think you'd be going anywhere without giving me a kiss first, did you?" He asked, and without waiting for a reply, he kissed her.   
  
Hermione blinked, a little dazed, and then smiled at him.   
  
"I really have to go now; I do not want to think about what Ginny will say when she finds me gone."   
  
Bill stayed behind, leaning against the wall. How would he ever be able to tell her? He loved her more for every passing day, and no longer cared if it was illogical or wrong. But she couldn't feel the same, could she?   
  
******'  
  
Hermione sat down on Ginny's bed, smiling dreamily. Bill was the most considerate and sweet man she'd ever met. She just couldn't stop thinking about him. Last night, she even dreamed about him. She had, several times already, been forced to bite her tongue as to not talk about him in front of Ginny more than necessary.   
  
Just as she thought about her, Ginny stepped in, and Hermione slipped the smile off her face as fast as she could. The redheaded girl sat down beside her and threw an arm around her shoulder.   
  
"I ran into Bill on the way up here, and he told me something curious. He told me that you wanted help to get rid of Ron's attention." Ginny told her.   
  
"Yes." Hermione said, trying to sound miserable.   
  
The truth was that she was nearly jumping up and down, singing at the top of her voice because Bill had talked about her. Unreasonable behaviour, but even so.   
  
"Now, it isn't going to happen."   
  
"What? Why not?" Hermione asked alarmed.   
  
"Because Ron isn't going to give up. Never. Unless you shock him badly, he is never going to leave you alone. My suggestion is that you get yourself a boyfriend." Ginny advised her.   
  
"Oh, no, you are not going to set me up with anyone, Ginny; I'll take care of this myself. Trust me, I can do this. If I need a boyfriend to scare him off, I can get one without your help." Hermione told her friend.   
  
"Oh, alright, but you can always come to me if you need any help. Please?" Ginny pleaded.   
  
"I will, Ginny, I will. By the way, have I ever told you about my Muggle friend Claire?" Hermione said, quickly changing subjects.   
  
"No, you never told me anything about your Muggle friends." Ginny said, interested.   
  
Thanking whatever deities were listening that the distraction had worked, Hermione started telling Ginny about her Muggle life.   
  
********'  
  
Hermione told Bill about what Ginny had said as soon as she could, and they spent some time in the backyard, under the excuse that they were de-gnoming it instead of Fred and George, discussing what they should do about it. They came to the conclusion that they had to break the story to his family, but they still had no idea how, only that they had to do it soon.   
  
Two days passed, during which Ron became more and more insistent, and Hermione was getting more and more desperate. Then, suddenly, Mr and Mrs Weasley announced that they had to go to London to visit a relative, and that they left Charlie and Bill in charge of the younger children.   
  
The twins celebrated the parent-less day by setting off their newest invention, which proved to be a cross between Exploding Snap and Filibusters Fireworks, in the backyard, resulting in a huge explosion.   
  
Everyone, including Percy ran out of the house to see what the fuss was about, and the twins ran for it. The only ones who didn't get out of the house were Hermione and Bill. Instead, they hid in the closet.  
  
Hermione was going to talk to him about Ron, but all thoughts were neatly packed together and thrown out the window when he kissed her. Deciding she could fuss about Ron's behaviour later, she kissed him back, and they soon lost track of the world around them.   
  
Therefore, they didn't hear Fred and George when the twins came sneaking up to the closet, intent on hiding in there until it had blown over. Pranksters soon learn when to start running. Fred opened the door, glancing over his shoulder at George, just about to say something, when he caught the expression on his twin's face.   
  
George looked like he had seen a ghost, completely pale and his eyes were easily the size of golf balls. Throwing a quizzical glance at his twin, Fred turned his head to see what George was so scared of, and came face to face with his eldest brother and his youngest brother's best friend, snogging each others brains out.   
  
"Bill?" He said faintly.   
  
Bill immediately broke away from the kiss, and stared at them. Hermione, who was by now an interesting shade of red, stared at them too. The twins unfroze and turned to each other, grinning like mad.   
  
"I can't believe it! Bill's got a girlfriend!" They exclaimed, jumping around.   
  
"Shut up!" Bill hissed.   
  
"Bill's got a girlfriend, Bill's got a girlfriend." The twins sang, ignoring him.   
  
"Fred, George, what's going on?" Percy came through the door.   
  
When he spotted Hermione and Bill, who were blushing furiously, Bill helping Hermione to straighten her rather crumpled clothes, and just blinked and straightened his glasses.   
  
"Oh." He said, as if he wasn't surprised at all.   
  
"Percy, stop hogging the doorway!" Exclaimed an angry Ron from behind his brothers.   
  
Fred and George had now gone into the living room, still singing to themselves and laughing so hard they cried. Bill and Hermione froze again, suddenly scared that Ron might blow up. Ron came through the doorway, saw them, and suddenly there was no time left to think.   
  
Ron looked from Bill to Hermione and back again, steadily growing more and more furious, his face flushed. His fists clenched, and a vein on his forehead started to tick. Bill stepped in front of Hermione, so that he could protect her if the worst happened.   
  
"Bill, what the hell is going on?" Ron asked. "Why are you and Hermione……Why are you with him, Hermione? What's going on?"   
  
"Ron, please, let us explain." Bill tried, but Ron interrupted him.   
  
"Explain? Explain what? That you're snogging the girl you know I like behind my back? Sorry, but I think that's too obvious for me to miss. How could you, Hermione? How could you do that to me?" He demanded, taking a step closer. "And you!" He turned to Bill again.   
  
"How dare you put your filthy hands on my Hermione? Why the hell did you do that to me? You're supposed to be my brother! How dare you do that?" He screamed, clearly too angry to care he was repeating himself.   
  
Like all Weasley's, Bill had a quick temper, and it flared now, when Ron was yelling at the girl he loved. Without thinking about what he said, he shouted back at Ron.  
  
"Shut up!" He shouted, clenching his fists.   
  
"NO I WON'T! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Ron roared, loud enough to make Fred and George come running from the living room, wondering what was happening.   
  
"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!" Bill roared back.  
  
Silence fell over the room after that. Harry and Ginny, who had been watching from the door, looked from Bill to Hermione, wondering what to think. Fred and George high-fived in the background, Percy nodded his head, as if he had expected that, and Charlie who had just entered through the front door, looked like someone had hit him in the back of the head with a board. Ron just stood there, gaping like a fish, anger gone to give way for confusion.   
  
"I love her, alright?" Bill repeated, whispering now.   
  
He buried his face in his hands, knowing that he'd screwed up badly this time. Hermione was bound to leave him now that she'd heard what he said; she was going to be scared away, just like he promised himself that she wouldn't be.   
  
Someone took away the hands covering his face, and he looked into Hermione's eyes. He had never in his whole life been as scared as he was now. What if she rejected him, told him that she didn't really want him? What if she left?   
  
"Thank you." She whispered, and kissed him.   
  
"You're not mad at me?" He whispered back, hope starting to rise in his chest.   
  
If she kissed him, there was hope, right?   
  
"Why should I be mad at you for telling me you love me, when I feel the same?" She asked softly.   
  
"You do?" He asked, shocked, watching as she nodded.   
  
She loved him. She really loved him. He wasn't dreaming, it was real, and she had just told him she loved him. He smiled hesitantly. She smiled back and he kissed her again. When he broke the kiss again, he looked over her shoulder at the Burrow hallway, grinning like an idiot. Funny how he never noticed that the Burrow was so beautiful.   
  
He didn't even notice when Charlie ordered them to be left alone, and manhandled Ron out of the hallway to cool down. All he could think about was Hermione, and hall he could do was hug her tightly and kiss her again and again.   
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; Ron will calm down in the next chapter, (if I feel like it) and you will get Mr and Mrs Weasley's reaction too. 


	11. Hogwarts and the Sorting

Kinda long chapter. Or maybe not. They get to Hogwarts, at least! That's something right?

Hope Charlie is believable in this chapter; I've always pictured him like being an older version of the twins. 

******'

When they finally came back and started noticing the world around them, Bill and Hermione were slightly shocked to discover that it was nearly lunch time. Bill stuck his head into the kitchen, and saw Percy sitting there, doing some kind of crossword-puzzle, and Charlie eating a sandwich. 

The twins could be heard somewhere upstairs, no doubt experimenting, and Ginny and Harry were talking out in the garden. Ron was nowhere to be seen. Charlie looked up, and grinned at them, while Percy only nodded. 

"See you're back with the world. Want something to eat?" Charlie asked. 

"Yeah. Sure." Bill nodded, and sat down, Hermione beside him. 

They ate in silence, and after a while Percy excused himself to go and finish a report for the Ministry. Charlie remained, saying he'd have to keep an eye on Bill and Hermione, in case they went over the borders of what was proper. At that comment, Bill lobbed a sandwich at his brother's head, which said brother caught and promptly ate. 

"He's hopeless!" Bill told Hermione. 

"Mhm, but so are you." She said, smiling. 

"I thought you loved me." Bill said, eyes wide, mock-serious. 

"Oh, I love you alright, but that doesn't make me blind." Hermione teased. 

"Oh, gods, if it gets any sappier, I'm going to throw up." Charlie said, laughing. 

They ignored him, and disappeared into their own world again. Charlie shook his head, chuckling, and picked up Percy's newspaper and started reading. Bill and Hermione were too absorbed in each other to care what else was going on. 

Harry and Ginny came in from the garden, spotted Bill and Hermione sitting hand in hand at the kitchen table, and had to bite back laughter. Harry sat down next to Charlie and started eating, while Ginny plopped down in the chair next to Hermione, grinning like a maniac. 

"So that's why you didn't want my help to get a boyfriend!" She said, punching Hermione lightly on the shoulder. "Now, you've got to tell me; when did this happen?" 

"Well, remember when I wrote to Mum and told her I was going to Rome with an apprentice?" Bill asked. 

Ginny nodded, as did Harry and Charlie. 

"Well, I actually forgot to tell her the apprentice was Hermione; it's the truth. So we went to Rome, and broke a curse, and it sort of went from there." Bill admitted, blushing slightly. 

"Aw, that's so cute!" Ginny exclaimed. 

"Stop it, Gin, you're sickening!" Charlie said, hand over his eyes. "It's not that cute! In fact, it's not cute at all; I don't understand them." He admitted. 

"You've never been in love, have you, Charlie?" Harry asked quietly. 

Everyone turned to look at Harry, surprised; he wasn't one to say things like that. 

"Well, no." Charlie admitted. 

"Then you can't know what it's like." Harry concluded, and stood up. "I'm going to see how Ron's doing." He announced and left. 

"Well, that was odd. But no matter; you have other things to worry about." Charlie addressed Bill and Hermione. 

"What's that?" Hermione asked, puzzled. 

"Mum and Dad." Charlie said, grinning. 

Bill and Hermione stared at him, and then at each other, pale. They had forgotten about that, and Mrs Weasley was bound to be furious, or at least disappointed that Hermione wasn't going to end up with Ron. 

"You're screwed!" Charlie announced happily, and stood up, heading out to the garden. 

Bill and Hermione were left to worry by themselves, as Ginny left to help Harry calm Ron down. 

*****'

Molly Weasley chatted happily with her husband as they walked toward the front door of the Burrow, but before she could open it, it was thrown open by Charlie, who was grinning like a madman. She jumped a step and stared at him. 

"Hi Mum, hi Dad!" Their son announced happily. 

"Hello, Charlie. Did anything happen while we were gone?" Arthur asked cautiously. 

"You could say that. Ron's a bit mad at the moment, but Harry and Gin are trying to calm him down again. Percy's doing some sort of report, the twins are experimenting again, and I am on my way out to de-gnome the garden, it's getting worse and worse, isn't it?" He asked, walked past them, still grinning. 

Molly looked from her second eldest son to her husband with a decidedly worried expression. Something had happened when they were gone, and Charlie wasn't telling them anything about it. And he hadn't mentioned where Hermione and Bill were. That was certainly alarming. 

Not wasting another moment on the doorstep, they entered the house, looking for their children. Coming through the hallway towards the kitchen, they ran into Fred and George, who were creeping downstairs, whispering to each other. When George spotted them he let out a laugh. 

"Hi Mum, hi Dad! Looking for Bill? He's in the kitchen." He said, and then he and his twin disappeared up the stairs again, laughing wildly. 

Once again, a look was exchanged between the two of them, and they hastened their steps. How had they known they were looking for Bill? And why had they laughed? 

They rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, and Molly nearly fainted. At the table, were Bill and Hermione, kissing. 

*******'

Bill broke away suddenly at the sound of footsteps. He and Hermione looked to the kitchen door, and blushed furiously when they spotted his parents. Hermione hastily removed her hands from his shirt-buttons and he detangled his own from her hair. This was definitely not how he had planned to tell his parents. 

"Hi Mum, hi Dad." He tried weakly. 

"Bill! What are you thinking?" Mrs Weasley asked voice shrill with disapproval. 

"Um, not a lot?" He said, shrinking back. 

"That is too clear to miss! How can you do this to your brother?" She demanded. 

Bill was taken aback, but had not time to answer before his father spoke. 

"Molly, dear, I think we should hear them out before me jump to conclusions." He said softly, looking from Bill to Hermione quietly. 

"Er, well, this was certainly not the way I was going to break it to you." Bill started. "But Mum, you've always told me to get a girlfriend, and now I have." 

"I meant Fleur, as you very well know!" His mother snapped. 

"Fleur cheated on me with my friend, and had the gall to tell me we should get back together!" Bill snapped back, angry now. "You expect me to get together with a girl who doesn't even think twice before she jumps into bed with someone else? Well, I have news for you, Mum, I'm not like that! I've made my choice, and you aren't going to change it!" 

"Hermione is eight years younger than you are! How could you do that? You know your brother cares for her!" 

"Ron doesn't know what he feels! I do, and that's the difference! I love her, and I'm not going to leave her, no matter how much he fancies himself in love with her!" Bill was shouting now. "He isn't in love with her, or he would have done something about it sooner! He doesn't even care enough about her to understand her!" 

His mother was staring at him, cheeks red and eyes narrowed. Bill was staring back in defiance, hackles raised, ready to defend the woman he loved if he had to. None of them seemed to remember that Arthur and Hermione were still in the room. 

Arthur put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled as she looked up at him, startled. 

"It seems you two have your minds made up, and I for one am not going to stop you. Welcome to the family, Hermione." He said.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm family yet, Mr Weasley." Hermione protested, blushing. 

"You will be, if Bill gets his way." Arthur said, smiling at his eldest son. 

Bill blushed and looked at his feet, mumbling something incoherent. Molly crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at the two of them. 

"I did not expect this to happen, but since it has; welcome Hermione. I would have liked you to end up with someone else, but it seems I am powerless in this case." She announced. 

"I would never have ended up with Ron, whether Bill was here or not; Ron is too much of a brother to me." Hermione said softly. 

"A brother, am I?" Came a bitter voice from the doorway. 

Ron was standing there, looking furious at them, glaring at Hermione and Bill with more malice in his eyes than even Draco Malfoy displayed on a bad day. Without waiting for a reply, he spun on his heels and disappeared again. 

Hermione stared helplessly after him, eyes filling with tears; Ron had been her friend for six long years, and now he wouldn't even look at her. Without thinking, she went to Bill, who silently embraced her and held her as she cried. 

Molly and Arthur watched them for a while before walking out of the kitchen to leave them alone. 

*****'

Bill held Hermione close, whispering in her ear that everything would be alright, and that Ron was just being a pigheaded git. It took a while, but Hermione calmed down slowly, wiping her eyes. 

"Alright?" Bill asked softly. 

"No, but I will be." Hermione sniffed. 

"Good." Bill said and bent down to kiss her. 

"Oh, please! Charlie, tell Hormonal Teenagers to stop sucking face!" Came Fred's voice from the doorway. 

"Yeah!" George followed up, "They could at least keep it to themselves!" 

Hermione and Bill broke away from each other quickly, and blushed. The twins were standing in the doorway, grinning widely. 

"We heard you yelling at Mum." Fred started. 

"And we're impressed that she let you get away with it." George finished. 

"I don't think I got away with it." Bill admitted ruefully. 

"No, you didn't, but I realized you're both grown up, so I can't actually do anything." Molly Weasley clipped in, moving into the kitchen to start making dinner. 

"Thanks Mum." Bill said gratefully. 

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley." Hermione said, grateful as well. 

Dinner that day was a tense affair; all Weasley's with the exceptions of Ron and Mrs Weasley, congratulated them and wished them luck, a few of them coming with hints that it was time for Bill to settle down for good, and that they wouldn't be disappointed if it was with Hermione. Both Bill and Hermione ignored these hints, and carried on the conversation. 

******'

The little time that was left of her stay at the Burrow went by fast, and soon she was standing outside the front door, hand in hand with Bill, ready to Apparate home again. Ron still wasn't speaking to either of them, and Hermione was having a hard time acting normal around him; she often ended up crying her heart out to Bill. Unfortunately, those comfort-sessions often ended in kisses, which one of the Weasley's would inevitably walk in on, and they would have to interrupt themselves. 

Bill turned to her and smiled, breaking her out of her reverie, and pulled her closer, ready to Apparate. Once again, the world around them disappeared, and then refocused on the hill where they had left for the airport the last time. 

They walked to her parents house, and Bill said goodbye, but not before kissing her thoroughly. He hugged her and walked off down the street, waving cheerily. Hermione waved back, until he was out of eyeshot. 

"My, my; he does look good, that Bill." Claire said, amused, from where she stepped out from behind the hedge. 

"Claire! You scared me!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping and spinning on her heels. 

"Hello to you too. So, how're you feeling?" Claire grinned. 

"I'm perfectly fine."

The two of them disappeared into Hermione's house, talking about everything and nothing. 

******'

The 1st of September came, and Hermione was sitting on the train to Hogwarts. The Head Girl badge was pinned on her robe and she was deep into one of her books. The letter announcing that she was Head Girl had arrived soon after she came home from the Burrow, and she had immediately written to Bill with the happy news. 

She hadn't expected him to do anything else than congratulate her, but he had sent back a reply with good advice and saying that he would have sent her a present, but that she would have to wait until her birthday, which wasn't far away. 

She smiled as she remembered her days at the Burrow, and didn't notice Harry and Ginny until they sat down next to her, grinning somewhat evilly. 

"Daydreaming again, are you Hermione?" Ginny asked. 

"Of course." Hermione replied, but smiling. 

"Daydreaming?" Asked someone. 

They looked up, and saw to their delight that Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Parvati and Padma Patil were standing in the doorway. 

"Yes, daydreaming, about the N.E.W.T's, no doubt." Harry told them, as they had decided not to tell anyone about Hermione's relationship with Bill yet. 

The others sat down, talking excitedly about everything under the sun, and Hermione had to suppress a smile when she saw Luna and Neville holding hands. The Patil twins talked about their summer in France, Neville told them about his recent family gathering and how his grandmother had given him an owl. Luna was staring dreamily into space, presumably thinking about Neville or Thestrals or whatever else came to her mind. 

Hermione watched them with a smile on her face, happy to be back at the Hogwarts express, even if it was for the last time. 

******'

They arrived at Hogwarts and after a short carriage ride, they stood in front of the doors. The first years went with Professor McGonagall, and everyone else went into the Great Hall. Hermione made to follow them, but was stopped by someone calling her name. 

"Ms Granger." 

She turned around, and came face to face with Severus Snape, Potions Master and all around snarky git. 

"Yes sir?" She asked. 

"Come with me; the Head Girl and Head Boy sit with the staff at the Sorting Ceremony." He informed her coldly, and started towards another set of doors. 

Sit with the staff? That would be interesting. Hopefully, she would be able to ask Professor Flitwick if she could do an individual project in Charms this year. She wanted to write something on the Borealis Curse and Tomas Larsson. 

She followed Snape up to the High Table, and found to her delight that she would be sitting next to Professor Flitwick and Professor Vector, two of her favourite teachers. The Sorting Ceremony began, and she watched intently. She didn't know who the Head Boy was, but she had enough time to find that out later. 

"Andersen, Colin." McGonagall read. 

A small boy with curly brown hair put the Sorting Hat on his head, and it hesitated for a few second before screaming ´RAVENCLAW`. Colin pulled it off and ran towards the Ravenclaw table where he was greeted by his House-mates. Next in line for Sorting was ´Boardman, Sarah´. 

And so it went on, until the last student had been sorted. Hermione clapped politely at each student, no matter which House they ended up in. The food appeared on the plates, and she began to eat, discussing various things with the professors around her. She engaged in a lengthy conversation with Flitwick and finally got ask if she could to her project. 

"Why, of course!" The little professor chirruped, "It is always nice when students take initiatives for their studies." 

Suddenly, a grey owl came swooping down towards the High Table, and headed straight for Hermione. It landed on her shoulder, hooted happily and held out its leg. Hermione gave it a puzzled glance, but took the letter. 

"Hettar? What are you doing here?" She asked, because it was her very own owl. "Is it a letter from my parents?" 

She unrolled the letter and read it quickly. 

Hermione.

I hope I am not interrupting you or anything, but I just had to write to you. You forgot some books at the Burrow, so I am sending them to you; they're in the envelope, but I shrunk them, so your owl would be able to carry them. 

Mum is still pestering me about you, and saying that I should have kept well away from you, and forgiven Fleur. But that isn't going to happen, ever. I couldn't have kept away if I wanted to; it should be illegal for one person to be as beautiful as you are, you know. 

I hope you arrived safely at Hogwarts, but I am sure I am worrying needlessly; I often do. If you get an owl from the twins, by the way, don't open it. They're experimenting with some sort of singing parchment, which will follow you around and repeat some message, which is probably stupid. 

I explained to Dad about the stereos, and he thought it was fascinating. He said he needed to find one immediately, and start finding out how it works. Mum was rather mad at me after that, needless to say. Good luck with being Head Girl, I know you will be the best Hogwarts has ever seen. 

I have to go now, since Charlie keeps snatching away the parchment and is reading it aloud to anyone in the area. He's reading over my shoulder now, by the way. 

**I am not! **

Charlie snatched the quill to, as you can see. Hopefully, he'll find himself a girlfriend and stop bothering people who already have them. Not that anyone in their right mind would want to be with a dragon-crazy man who thinks of third-degree burns as something to be proud of. 

Love, 

Bill. 

Ps. I am probably repeating myself, but I love you. Don't worry about Ron; he'll get over himself. If nothing else, he'll find a girlfriend. 

**Is that your answer to everything, _William?_**

No, and don't call me William! Only Hermione can do that! Now go away! 

**You do realize you are talking to the paper, don't you, Bill?**

Shut up, Charlie. I'm sorry for the interruptions, love, but Charlie just won't go away. Thankfully, I'll go back to my flat soon, and be rid of him and the twins. Percy isn't that bad, but I think he's taking the news of our relationship a little too calmly. You don't think he's a Seer, do you? Write back as soon as possible. Ds. 

Hermione smiled. Bill was so sweet sometimes. No, scratch that; all the time. She'd write back as soon as possible, but right now she didn't have time. She gave Hettar a piece of bread, and watched as he flew out towards the owlery. 

She folded the letter and put it in her pocket. The professors looked at her curiously, but no one dared to voice the question on everyone's mind. 

"A letter from my friend; wanted to know whether I'd arrived safely or not." It wasn't really a lie; Bill was her friend, and he wanted to know if she'd arrived safely. 

"Potter and Weasley can't let you be for ten minutes without writing a letter to you, can they?" A voice drawled from the other side of Snape. 

Hermione looked at the owner of the voice; Draco Malfoy, with the Head Boy badge pinned on his robe. She raised an eyebrow, and looked at him quizzically. Did he really think it was Harry and Ron who'd written the letter?

"Do you honestly think that I haven't got any other friends than Harry and Ron?" She asked. 

"Of course not, Granger; they're the only ones who can stand you." Malfoy shrugged. 

"Mr Malfoy." McGonagall warned. 

Hermione ignored Malfoy and continued her meal in silence. Malfoy could keep is idiocy to himself; she didn't care. Bill had written her a letter, and she was going to write back, Malfoy's prejudices be damned. 

*****'

After dinner, they were given the responsibility of escorting the first years to their respective Common Rooms. Normally, this was a prefect responsibility, but Gryffindor's prefect had switched to Durmstrang just before school began, and the Slytherin one had ended up in the hospital wing because of some fight on the train. 

"The password is Aurora Borealis." Hermione said, fighting to keep her face straight. 

She entered the Common Room and walked up to the seventh year dormitory, plopping down on the bed in relief. She pulled out the letter from Bill, and found her own quill and parchment, starting to write back. 

Bill, or should I say William?

Thank you for the letter; Hettar arrived in the middle of the Sorting Feast. Needless to say, it was rather surprising. I talked with Flitwick about doing a project on the Borealis Curse, and he said I could. Hopefully, I learned enough by the biography, and if I didn't, I know where to look. 

I fear that Charlie is right; getting a girlfriend seems to be your answer to everything. Not a bad answer, everything considered. I'm certainly not protesting. Ron is still not talking to me, but I'll manage; I've got Harry and Ginny and Neville and Parvati and the rest of DA (Dumbledore's Army). 

I miss you; even if it was only a week since I saw you last. I was missing you as soon as you walked around the corner, and I wish I could see you soon. Hopefully, I will see you over Christmas. I'm thinking about breaking the news about me being a witch to my Muggle friend Claire, and if she takes it well, could we both visit over Christmas? Maybe you could ask your mother?

I love you, William Weasley, and don't you forget it. 

Love,

Hermione. 

She finished the letter, and put it under her pillow; she could send it tomorrow. Smiling happily, she got ready for the night. She crept under the covers, and fell asleep dreaming of the time when she woke up in Bill's arms. 

When Lavender and Parvati came in half an hour later, they found her asleep, smiling and hugging her pillow tightly. The two girls smiled and whispering to each other, they went to bed as well. 

******'

Ending Notes: hope you like it. I know I did. 


	12. Phoenix Letters

Everything works out fine, I promise. But I'm having a hard time keeping Draco Malfoy in character. It always happens to me; he gets out of character, and adopts my personality. (Which isn't all that different from his own, or so I hope). It's a curse, a curse, I tell you!  
  
******'  
  
Hermione woke up the next morning with a goofy grin on her face. No matter how she tried, she couldn't stop grinning. She quickly got dressed and walked down to breakfast in the Great Hall, not waiting for Harry or Ron. She didn't wait for Ron for obvious reasons, and Harry would always sleep late on the first day back.  
  
She sat down at the Gryffindor table, ate her breakfast and headed to the Transfiguration classroom, waiting for the lesson to begin. She leaned against the wall and pulled out the letter from Bill to read it again.  
  
"Did your friends forget you, Mudblood, or did they finally realize you're not worth their time?" A voice asked.  
  
She turned her head to see Draco Malfoy stand there, sneering at her. She raised an eyebrow, and looked at him, amused.  
  
"Is that the best you can come up with, Malfoy?" She asked. "Because that was low standard, even for you. Harry and Ron haven't forgotten me, they never will. By the way, where are Twiddledee and Twiddledumb? I thought you three were attached at the hip?"  
  
"That is a horrible mental image, Granger. Don't ever mention it again; I think you've destroyed whatever vestiges of innocence I've still got left. But why are you here without Scarface and Weasel?"  
  
"Because they slept late."  
  
"Really. Who's the letter from?"  
  
Hermione felt forced to raise an eyebrow again; Malfoy was actually making civil conversation with her? Something was very wrong here.  
  
"If you must know, it's from someone named William."  
  
Hey, that wasn't even a lie.  
  
"William? Who's that? Have you got a boyfriend?" Malfoy sneered.  
  
"What if I have? Disappointed you couldn't get any? I'm not at all sorry to disappoint you, Malfoy, but I wouldn't have gone out with you if they so paid me a million Galleons." Hermione snorted.  
  
"EWW! That's disgusting Granger! I'm just asking to get some blackmail fodder; you didn't have to make me sick!" He exclaimed, looking quite green.  
  
"Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger, I would appreciate if you didn't scream so loud." McGonagall came striding down the corridor.  
  
"Sorry, professor." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah. I'm off to Charms. Break a leg, Granger, and I don't mean it in the ´good luck´ way." Malfoy said, and started down the corridor.  
  
He ran straight into Ron and Harry, who were coming from the Great Hall. Harry glared at him, and gave Hermione a ´good morning´, but Ron just brushed past, glaring at Hermione. Malfoy threw her a puzzle glance, and she stuck out her tongue at him. He shook his head, mouthed ´Do break a leg´ at her, and disappeared down the corridor.  
  
Hermione ignored him and walked into the classroom. If Ron was going to act like this all the time, it was going to be a long day. Hell, it was going to be a long term!  
  
******'  
  
Lunch came, and Ron was still not even looking at her. She only picked at her food, pushing it around on her plate with her fork, not bothering to eat anything. Harry watched her, concerned, and finally leaned forward over the table.  
  
"Hermione, you have to eat. You won't get anywhere with Ron just because you don't eat. Please?" He asked.  
  
"Alright, but I wish he would at least look at me." Hermione whispered, and Ginny, who was sitting next her, put a comforting arm around her shoulder, sending a glare at her brother while doing so.  
  
"Hey, Hermione, that owl you got last night, was it from.?" Ginny asked.  
  
Hermione nodded, blushing, and grinning again.  
  
"Aw, I never knew he could be that sweet!" Ginny exclaimed after Hermione told her what the letter had been about.  
  
"I'm leaving." Ron announced and got to his feet.  
  
The rest of the Gryffindor table looked at him as if he had grown a second head; Ron never left lunch or dinner before it was over. A few of them threw glances over at Harry and Hermione, and were surprised to see them glaring at Ron. At least Harry and Ginny were glaring; Hermione was just staring at her plate.  
  
Seeing the expressions on Harry and Ginny's faces, the Gryffindor's decided they were better off not knowing and went back to their lunches. They knew how dangerous Hermione was when angered, and Harry and Ginny were no less dangerous, and since most of the Gryffindor population of the school liked their limbs where they were, messing with any of the aforementioned three wasn't an option.  
  
******'  
  
The rest of the week went by much like this; Ron getting up and leaving any time she came near, Malfoy teasing her and laughing at her, constantly wanting to know who ´William´ was, and Harry and Ginny staying close to Hermione, trying to cheer her up, something only Bill's letters seemed able to do.  
  
Hermione still hadn't said anything about Ron's behaviour, since she knew Bill would be upset, and that he was probably going to blow up and fight with his brother. And while Ron was one of the best fist fighters in Hogwarts, Bill was far ahead of him, being older and taller than his little brother.  
  
Hermione's birthday was approaching quickly, and her fellow Gryffindor's started asking her what she wanted for presents, and she couldn't help but smile; seven years with the same people either end in disaster or life-long friendship, and it seemed like it was the latter. Ron however, didn't quite see it that way; he insulted anyone talking about Hermione and kept more and more to himself, if he wasn't trying to tell anyone of how horrible Hermione actually was.  
  
The rumour-spreading was the worst, at least in her opinion, and one day, she decided she had had enough of it, and was going to talk to Ron about it, whether he liked it or not. Setting down her Charms book on the table, she got up and walked over to him, where he was sitting beside the fireplace, morosely staring at the chessboard in front of him.  
  
She sat down in the chair in front of him, and leaned forward, fixing him with a stern gaze. He noticed she was there, and jumped up, about to head off again, leaving her behind, but he hadn't gotten more than a few steps when Hermione's voice stopped him.  
  
"You're not gong anywhere, Ronald Weasley; you are going to come back here, you are going to sit down, and the two of us are going to talk." She said, in her best She-who-must-be-obeyed tone.  
  
Ron turned and glared at her, but did as she said. He plopped down in the chair, and crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at her sullenly.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked, sounding angry.  
  
"I want you to understand."  
  
"Understand what? That I'm stupid for believing you'd ever even look twice at me?" He asked, voice rising.  
  
"No, and keep your voice down, Ron! I want you to understand, that I love you, but as a brother. In fourth year, even fifth year, I would have wanted nothing more than for you to tell me you liked me. I was too shy to tell you I liked you, and that flame soon burned out. I'm an only child Ron and you and Harry has acted as my brothers for six years; therefore, that is what you have become. Even if you did admit you liked me in fifth year, it wouldn't have lasted."  
  
"Why the hell not? Am I not good enough for you?" Ron demanded.  
  
"Of course you are good enough for me! Don't you even dare think otherwise!" She snapped, "But Ron, I don't love you. Not that way, and I never will. I love him, more than you can ever understand. I love him so much, that every day I don't see him, I feel like crying. Please understand that, Ron. If we ever got together, we would be at each others throat's and would have hurt each other in a matter of days. It just would not work, Ron." She said, somewhat sadly.  
  
Ron looked at her, a little dazed at her declaration of love for his older brother, but eventually nodded. He looked a little sad, but understanding. He heaved a sigh, and stared at his hands.  
  
"You're right, Hermione. We would never work out, would we? I would have liked to see how it turned out though." He sounded almost wistful, "But I guess it'll never happen. I'm sorry I blew up on you and didn't talk to you. It was just such a shock, coming through the door and seeing you two there." He apologized. "Please don't be mad at me."  
  
"I'm not Ron, I am disappointed that you didn't let us tell you, but I'm not mad at you. Friends?" She asked, holding out her hand.  
  
"Friends." Ron agreed, and shook her hand.  
  
They were interrupted by the sound of clapping hands, and turned around to see Harry and Ginny standing there, applauding them, smiles on their faces. Ron grinned a bit, and Hermione smiled back. Life was back to normal.  
  
******'  
  
The morning of her birthday dawned, a steady drizzling rain pouring down the window, and the sky grey as lead. Not anyone's idea of a perfect day, but to Hermione it was worthy of a large goofy grin, which was exactly what her expression was when she woke up to an owl tugging at her hair.  
  
She sat up and relieved it of the package it was carrying. Excitedly, she tore it open and found a small blue box and a letter. She unrolled the letter and started reading, chewing on a nail.  
  
Dear Hermione.  
  
You're nineteen today. How do you feel? Older? Younger? The same? The latter, I would think. I know I did. Either way, you're still Hermione, and that's what matters. I said I'd send you a present, so I did. It's in the box, and that is probably the stupidest thing I've ever said, with no exceptions. You knew it'd be in the box, and see, once again I am ranting.  
  
Charlie and the twins, Mum and Dad and Percy sends their congratulations, by the way. Mum has finally gotten over me ´leaving Fleur´, or so she calls it. Now she's complaining I don't pay enough attention to you. Is she right?  
  
Hope not; I wish I could see you every day, but alas, I can't. You know, I woke up the other day, and was really happy, but then I realized you weren't there, so I felt disappointed, and snapped at everyone until your letter arrived, and then I was happy again. Charlie swears that I've got mood-swings. The worst part is I don't know if he's right or not.  
  
Charlie is still here, but he's dying to get back to his precious dragons. If it wasn't for that girlfriend of his girlfriend in sixth year, I'd have sworn he was a little strange, if you catch my drift. There's still hope for him though.  
  
I talked to Mum about your friend staying over Christmas, and Mum was delighted, and needless to say, so was Dad. Now he's got a Muggle to torture for more information; he's practically ecstatic. She's welcome.  
  
I'm glad you solved your problems with Ron; it's not nice to have your little brother mad at you. I wish you well, and hope I see you soon.  
  
I love you  
  
Bill.  
  
She smiled and folded the letter again. She picked up the book and lifted off the lid. Inside was yet another note, which she took out and read before looking inside again.  
  
Dear Hermione.  
  
I was pulling out my hair, trying to come up with something to give you, when Gringotts decided to call me into their office.  
  
It turns out that I'm (we, rather) am entitled to a part of the treasure they found in the chest in Rome, one of the more worthless parts, that is. I got this, and immediately thought of you. I don't know why, but then again I think of you all the time, so maybe it isn't that strange. Hope you like it.  
  
Love,  
  
Bill.  
  
Intrigued, she pulled out the little cloth-wrapped bundle inside the box and started unfolding it. Out fell something made of silver and what looked to be rubies. She picked it up gently and looked at it, and gasped.  
  
In her hands was a necklace, a silver chain with a pendant shaped like a phoenix. The phoenix was cut out of what looked like one singly ruby, and lined with silver. It must be invaluable. If this was one of the more worthless parts of the treasure, she fully understood the use of the Borealis Curse on it.  
  
She could only stare at the beautiful pendant, not moving an inch. She couldn't believe Bill would give something like this to her. That was how her friends found her an hour later.  
  
******'  
  
"Oh, Hermione? Where are you? I want to wish you a happy birthday, and how can I do that when I can't find you?" Ginny called, as she opened the door to the seventh year girls' dorms.  
  
She saw her friend sitting on her bed, staring at something in her hands. She hadn't moved an inch when she spoke. She didn't even react when Ginny sat down on the bed beside her.  
  
"Hermione what's wrong? Did Bill forget to send you a present?" Ginny asked worriedly.  
  
"No." Hermione managed to get out, and gestured to her hand.  
  
Ginny gasped; it was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen, and where Bill had found the money to purchase it, she'd never know.  
  
"Oh, my god Hermione; where did he get it?" She breathed.  
  
"He said he got it from the treasure chest in Rome." Hermione replied faintly.  
  
"Well, now we know he's a keeper." Ginny giggled.  
  
"Ginny! I don't judge him by what he buys for me! I love him anyway!" Hermione exclaimed, punching Ginny on the shoulder.  
  
"I know! I know! I'm just joking, now put that thing on and let's go and meet up with Harry and my fool of a brother." Ginny ordered.  
  
"Alright, give me a minute." Hermione stood up and started going through her drawers.  
  
Ginny chuckled and got up from the bed and out of the room, leaving Hermione alone get dressed for her birthday.  
  
******'  
  
Hermione put the necklace on, and admired it in the mirror for a few minutes before going down to the Common Room to meet her friends. They greeted her with hugs and cheers, and Dean had drawn a picture of her and the Gryffindor lion on a banner which read ´Happy Birthday Hermione´, which had been hung over the fireplace.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Hermione!" They chorused.  
  
"Thank you, everyone!" She laughed, and hugged them all in turn.  
  
Her only regret now was that she couldn't hug Bill. Or kiss him senseless, for that matter. But that didn't matter much right now; today she was going to enjoy her birthday, and anything else could be damned.  
  
Her necklace was seen and duly shrieked at by the female members of the house, and they went down to breakfast. On the way, they ran into Draco Malfoy. He stared at Hermione' necklace, and then shot her a smirk.  
  
"Seems this ´William´ has got quite a lot of money then, Granger. Too bad he's stupid enough to choose you." He drawled.  
  
"William? Does he know, Hermione?" Ginny wanted to know.  
  
"Not really." Hermione shrugged. "But Malfoy, ´William´ has enough money to get by, and that's not really your business anyway. As for where he got the necklace, that is also none of your business. There is an impressive amount of things that are none of your business in fact, so if you'd just let us pass, I'd be happy to leave you alone." She smiled at him.  
  
They left him standing in the corridor, gaping in astonishment that she had actually dared to talk back to him. This was going to be a great day, all things considered.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; I can't write Ron as a prat for too long without losing my patience with him, so here it is; the make up. I wonder what will happen in the next chapter... 


	13. The Burrow Again

Another day, another chapter. I've had a feeling my chapters aren't as good as they could be, but I carry on.  
  
*****''  
  
The months went by agonizingly slow for Hermione, and she found herself not paying attention in lessons because her thoughts centred on Bill. She could be asked a question in Transfiguration, one of her best subjects, and just look at McGonagall blankly and ask her to repeat the question.  
  
Her friends knew of course why she was so distracted during lessons, but others didn't. Malfoy, for example. He kept pestering her about her boyfriend, until she one day blew up and hexed him, landing herself in detention.  
  
She didn't care; it was worth scrubbing cauldrons to see Malfoy going to the Hospital Wing with so many hexes on him that he could barely stand. Snape had let her go early because he said he couldn't stand ´that goofy grin of yours, you silly girl´, and she'd come back to the Gryffindor Common Room, only to be greeted by whistles and applauds from her House mates for hexing Malfoy.  
  
She had written to Bill about it, and he had written back, saying that she was not actually supposed to do that, but that he was proud of her for knowing so many hexes. And then he'd told her that Charlie was staying for Christmas, and that she needed to prepare her friend for an insane dragon- fancier for company. She wrote back saying that he shouldn't talk about his brother like that. He defended himself by saying that it was true.  
  
******'  
  
The last few days before the winter holidays flew by quickly, and soon she was standing on platform 9 ¾, waiting for her parents to come and pick her up. She had decided to go home and talk to Claire before Flooing to the Burrow.  
  
The ride home was spent talking to her mother about how her friends were feeling, how her grades were, and why she'd hexed Malfoy. When they arrived at the house, she jumped out of the car and ran down the street, snow flying around her feet, to see Claire.  
  
She rang the doorbell, and waited for Claire to open. The door opened, and there was Claire, looking angry, and with a boy at her side. Hermione gulped, thinking she'd interrupted something and that Claire was angry at her, but Claire was glaring at the boy, who seemed clueless.  
  
"You get out of my house, and I don't ever want to see you again! We're over!" Claire hissed at him.  
  
"Fine whatever. You're ugly anyway." The boy shrugged and pushed past Hermione and disappeared down the street.  
  
Hermione turned to Claire, who was still looking angry, but the dark-haired girls face softened when she saw her friend.  
  
"Hermione! I'm so sorry you had to see that, but I was just breaking up with him; he's a jerk anyway." She said, before hugging Hermione. "So when did you come back?"  
  
"Right now, in fact. Um, Claire, I have something to tell you. It's kind of private. Could we go to your room; I don't want your parents to hear." Hermione hugged her back.  
  
"Ooh, keeping secrets, are you?" Claire teased, and bounced up the stairs to her room.  
  
*****'  
  
They sat down on Claire's bed, and Hermione took a deep breath. It was now or never. Claire was sitting across from her, head to one side, looking curious. Hermione fingered her wand, which she kept in her pocket, and sighed.  
  
"Well, this is going to be hard, so I'll give you some good news first. I wrote to Bill, and he said that Mrs Weasley thought it would be nice if you came." She started.  
  
"Wohoo! I get to go to that Burrow place!" Claire exclaimed, "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?"  
  
"Here goes nothing; I'm a witch, in the magical sense of the word." She said, looking Claire seriously.  
  
Claire laughed and shook her head, throwing a pillow at Hermione.  
  
"Really funny, Hermione, now tell me what you wanted me to know." She got out between bouts of laughter.  
  
Sighing, Hermione pulled out her wand and wished fervently that the permission Dumbledore had given her that summer was enough to last for this occasion too. Claire looked at her strangely, but since she just pulled out a stick from her pocket, Hermione assumed that it was nothing more than right.  
  
"Watch." She said.  
  
She pointed her wand at the book on Claire's nightstand, a fantasy book about dragons, and clearly said the incantation.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa." The book rose slowly from the nightstand and hovered about a foot above the bed, with no means of support.  
  
Claire squeaked, and fell off the bed. She sat up, and stared at Hermione, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, clearly shocked, but to Hermione's relief, she could detect no fear in her friend's eyes. That was what she'd been most afraid of; that Claire would fear her.  
  
"You're telling the truth?" Claire squeaked, sounding like a mouse.  
  
"Yes. I have no reason to lie, do I?" Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Hermione, this is so awesome!" Claire exclaimed, jumping up and giving her friend a hug.  
  
"You believe me? You're not afraid or anything?" Hermione asked in disbelief.  
  
"Of course not silly!" Claire said, whacking her over the head, "I'm ecstatic! Now tell me more about you being a witch!" She commanded and sat down on her bed again.  
  
******'  
  
Claire was nearly dying with excitement when Hermione informed her they would be Flooing to the Burrow. The girl was practically jumping up and down in glee. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at her.  
  
She'd warned Claire that she would probably go off with Bill and not be seen for the rest of the holidays, but Claire had told her it was alright, and that Hermione needed a good shag. Hermione had then proceeded to smack her over the head and said that there would be no shagging, and that Claire needed to surgically remove her mind from the gutter.  
  
The day came when they were going to the Burrow, and Claire said goodbye to her parents, and stood with Hermione by the fireplace. Hermione threw some Floo-powder in the fireplace and called ´the Burrow´. She gestured to Claire to go in first, and then headed after her.  
  
They reappeared in the Weasley living room, sooty and laughing, dragging their trunks behind them. George stuck his head in the living room and spotted them, and grinned like a madman. Then he turned and called up the stairs.  
  
"Oi! Bill! She's here now!" He called, loud enough to wake the dead.  
  
Seconds later, Bill came running down the stairs, jumped over the banister and caught Hermione in a hug strong enough to crack bones, all the while kissing her like there was no tomorrow.  
  
Claire watched them with an eyebrow raised, stifling giggles, when Charlie came in, and stopped at the sight of his older brother. He made a gagging sound and shook his head.  
  
"Bill! Do you want me to go blind?" He whined.  
  
"No, I want you to leave us alone you pervy dragon-fancier!" Bill snapped and went back to kissing Hermione.  
  
"Dragons? Hermione, why didn't you tell me dragons existed?" Claire whined.  
  
Hermione broke the kiss to glare at her friend, who took the hint and disappeared to the kitchen together with Charlie, who was still complaining that Bill was trying to blind him. Hermione chuckled and kissed Bill again, not intending to stop anytime soon, but they were forced to, when Mrs Weasley came into the living room.  
  
"Hermione, Bill! You shouldn't leave your friend with Charlie like that!" She snapped.  
  
"Oh, that's right. Hermione, we need to go and save your poor friend from the dragon-fancier." Bill said very seriously, and dragged her to the kitchen.  
  
"Bill!" His mother shouted, but Bill only laughed and dragged Hermione into the kitchen.  
  
In there, Claire was sitting at the table, talking with Percy about the wizarding world in general and dragons in particular. Charlie was standing by the counter, staring at her.  
  
"...So, I believe dragons are the most fascinating creatures in the world." Claire was saying.  
  
Bill crept up beside Charlie, who had a stunned look on his face, and his eyes were glazed over. Bill got a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and with a glance at Hermione, who winked, he leaned down close to his brother's ear.  
  
"See something you like?" He whispered.  
  
Almost automatically, Charlie nodded, not taking his eyes off Claire. Bill burst out laughing, scaring his brother so much he jumped three feet into the air, and spun around, glaring. Hermione quickly grabbed Bill and proceeded to drag him out of the room.  
  
"We have some snogging to catch up on." She explained quickly.  
  
"Eww, now I'm going to have nightmares!" Charlie exclaimed, but soon forgot his night-time activities and went back to stare at Claire, an activity he took very seriously.  
  
******'  
  
They sat down on the couch in the living room, and stared at the fireplace for a few seconds, before kissing each other again. They had been apart for what to them seemed like ages, and were desperate not to waste a single minute of their time together.  
  
Unfortunately, Ginny Weasley had other ideas, and came running into the living room, grabbed Hermione and dragged her out from under Bill's nose. Bill threw up his hands in desperation, and walked up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut.  
  
He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Why did his family always interrupt him when he was with Hermione? He wanted so desperately to be alone with her that he dreamed of it and woke up sweating every night.  
  
He sighed and rolled over. Charlie seemed to have gotten himself a crush, at least, he thought with a smile. It was about time too; he had started to think that his brother would never settle down. And Claire didn't seem like she would protest all that much to a relationship with the dragon-obsessed Weasley.  
  
That meant that he had, with he help of Hermione, probably gotten Charlie a girlfriend. The only Weasley who needed a girlfriend now was Ron; he had seen Ginny throw glances at Harry when she thought no one was looking. He was pretty sure Harry didn't mind those glances.  
  
"William Oliver Weasley, we can make a matchmaker of you yet." He mumbled to himself.  
  
Deciding to distract himself until Hermione had escaped from his evil little sister's clutches; he picked up the closest book, which turned out to be a book Hermione lent him; The Sandman, Book of Dreams. It was rather interesting, but he still had a hard time believing that a Muggle could have such a vivid imagination.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione was sitting on Ginny's bed, glaring at said redhead, arms crossed over her chest. Ginny smiled hesitantly, and turned around to greet Claire as she came in, finally having escaped from the kitchen and Percy's constant questioning. She threw Hermione a glance and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why are you here, Hermione? I thought you would be off shagging Bill." She commented, resulting in a pillow throw at her head.  
  
"I would be, if Ginny hadn't interrupted us." Hermione shot back, blushing slightly.  
  
She wouldn't have been shagging Bill; more like snogging, but why bother with petty facts when it could ruin a perfect retort? She watched as Ginny turned slightly green.  
  
"Urgh, that's my brother you're referring to!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Oh? Well, if you didn't want me to tell you about it, then why interrupt me?" Hermione said.  
  
"Whatever! I wanted a girl to talk to; it's not easy living in a house full of boys!" Ginny rolled her eyes.  
  
"I know I wouldn't be complaining." Claire said dreamily.  
  
Hermione lobbed another pillow at her, and snorted.  
  
"Of course not; Charlie is only inches away from drooling at you!" She said.  
  
Now Claire seemed interested; she leaned forward and grinned.  
  
"Charlie's the one with the scars on his hands, right?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." Ginny nodded. "He's the second eldest one."  
  
"How come he's so interested; I've barely talked to him."  
  
"You haven't talked to him, no, but you've talked to Percy, about dragons." Hermione grinned. "And that is the best way to get Charlie's attention; Bill has a reason to call him dragon-fancier. "  
  
"What? He seriously likes dragons? Hermione, you've just found my dream- guy! You know how much I love dragons!" She squealed.  
  
She hugged Hermione and Ginny and then bounded down the stairs again, presumably to find Charlie and give him the same treatment. The two remaining girls looked at each other, and were suddenly overcome by giggles.  
  
"That was so funny! I can't believe Charlie was drooling over her like that!" Hermione gasped.  
  
"I can't believe she drooled over Charlie like that!" Ginny snorted.  
  
They would have laughed further, but Mrs Weasley called them down to dinner. Ginny jumped up immediately, and dragged Hermione down the stairs. Bill was just coming out of his room when they came down the stairs, and glared at Ginny.  
  
"Hey! Unhand my girl!" He called after his sister.  
  
His sister only stuck out her tongue at him and held onto Hermione. Bill followed them, muttering about ´interfering family members who should know better´.  
  
******'  
  
All members of the Weasley clan, together with Harry, Hermione and Claire, were gathered around the dinner table. Due to some unfathomable circumstances far beyond their control, Bill was seated next to Hermione, and Claire was seated next to Charlie. Charlie was definitely not complaining, and neither was Bill.  
  
Hermione was having a hard time keeping a straight face while listening to Charlie and Claire's conversation about dragons. It seemed Charlie had finally found someone who understood him, and didn't complain when he talked about dragons. Ron was blushing and looking down t his plate because of something Harry said, Percy was involved in a discussion about magical laws with his father, and the twins were holding a whispered conversation, as if to not be overheard by their mother.  
  
Bill pushed his plate away and put an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. He glanced at the calendar at the wall, and then turned to his mother, who was talking to Ginny about something important, or not.  
  
"Mum?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, dear?" Mrs Weasley answered.  
  
"Can we all go to Diagon Alley tomorrow? I've still got some presents to buy." He said.  
  
"Of course you can! It would be a perfect opportunity for Claire to acquaint herself with the wizarding world!" Mr Weasley exclaimed happily.  
  
"Alright then." Mrs Weasley nodded, and went back to talking to Ginny.  
  
Bill grinned and dropped a kiss on top of Hermione's hair, and watched as she ate her dinner. It was one of the better moments in his life; peaceful, happy, warm and content. He wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life like that. If he could, he would freeze this moment and save it, so he could take it out and look at it in years to come.  
  
It wasn't until after inner, when he once again was cooped up in his room reading, that he realized what he had thought. He then put down the book, calmly and slowly, stood up, walked out the door and down the stairs, nodded to his mother where she was standing in the kitchen, and walked across the backyard to the broom-shed. He took a broom, walked to the place where the twins and Harry and Ron always played Quidditch. Well there, he mounted the broom and kicked off; he needed to think.  
  
He hovered just low enough not to be seen by the Muggles, and found himself stargazing. Even from this high up, the stars seemed so tiny, as grains of sand on a piece of cloth, almost. They didn't twinkle, as described in fairy-tales, but shone steadily, as if they could go on doing so forever. And maybe they would; it would be nice to know that the same stars would shine over his grandchildren.  
  
And there he went again; thinking in terms of children and grandchildren, the rest of his life and whom he would share it with. Maybe he had finally grown up, as his mother had been begging him to do since he was out of Hogwarts. The most terrifying part was, he knew whom he wanted to spend his life with, and that someone was Hermione Granger.  
  
That realization nearly knocked him off his broom. He wanted to marry Hermione Granger; he wanted her to be his, for the rest of his life. Glancing at his watch, he decided he had been up in the air long enough, and descended again. He would have to think this over, he decided, and walked back to the house.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking out the window, and she saw Bill both as he walked away from the house, and when he came back. She wondered what he had been doing, but decided it wasn't important, and crept back under the covers of her bed.  
  
Claire was already asleep on the mattress on the floor, and she could hear Ginny snore softly from her own bed. There was a calming atmosphere in the room, making her relax and calm down. She hadn't been this calm in over a year. The ´battle-nerves´ as she called them had made her jumpy and quick to draw her wand. At times, she was nearly as bad as Alastor Moody.  
  
If someone had told her a year ago, that she would be staying at the Burrow with her best Muggle friend, as the official girlfriend of Bill Weasley, she would have laughed in their face and asked them whether they were escapees of St Mungo's or not. But here she was, falling more in love with him for every passing day, and finding herself wondering how she ever lived before she met him.  
  
She sighed, and pulled the covers tighter around her, trying to escape the slight chill in the air. Indoors temperatures dropped come winter, even in the wizarding world where heating charms could be applied to houses as well as clothes, and the Burrow with all its leaning walls and creaking floorboards was perfect for letting cold air in.  
  
She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but she found that it was impossible, due to all the thoughts centring on Bill. Not that she minded, thinking about Bill was a very pleasant activity, but it was somewhat distracting. Hopefully, she'd wear herself out and fall asleep anyway. She would have to get up early to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning, and she didn't want to look like a zombie when she did, so some sleep would do her good.  
  
******'  
  
Ending Notes; I would have made the chapter longer, but it seemed like a good place to stop, and I've got some other fic-ideas I'd like to scribble a bit on, so see you next time. 


	14. Christmas Proposal

Here we go again, chapters just keep popping up, don't they?  
  
Oh and please ignore any inconsistence in the terms for the holiday; since I'm Swedish, I don't use the same words for Christmas and Christmas Eve and all that, so I had a little trouble writing this chapter. Hopefully, the mistakes won't be too obvious.  
  
******'  
  
They woke up early the next morning, and Hermione and Bill spent the ride to Diagon Alley asleep on each others shoulders. They woke up again to Claire's muffled laughter, muffled because she was hanging onto Charlie's arm and had her head buried in his shirt. Hermione untangled herself from Bill and glared at them.  
  
"What's so funny?" She demanded, yawning.  
  
"You! That was so cute!" Claire exclaimed.  
  
"Shut up, Claire, please?" Hermione begged, as they got out of the car Mr Weasley had borrowed from the Ministry.  
  
They spread out through Diagon Alley, Fred and George dropping by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Percy disappearing into Flourish and Blotts, Ginny, Harry and Ron to Quality Quidditch supplies, Claire and Charlie to some shop that sold magical creatures, and Hermione and Bill were left standing there, not really knowing where to go.  
  
"Well," Bill said uncertainly, "I need to go and buy some presents. It wouldn't be a good idea if you came, I don't want you to know what I got you:"  
  
She hugged him and placed a kiss on his lips.  
  
"That's alright; I need to buy you something too."  
  
"As long as you promise not to get it from Gred and Forge." Bill warned, using a longstanding nickname of his twin brothers.  
  
"I promise."  
  
With another kiss, she headed down the street, looking for something to get him. It wasn't the easiest task, considering that he had almost everything he wanted already. And then it hit her; she knew the perfect present for him. All she needed now was to get to Muggle London. She set off towards the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
*******'  
  
Bill made sure Hermione wasn't anywhere in sight, before he walked into the small jewellery shop next to Eeyelops Owl Emporium. If he was going to propose to Hermione, he wanted to do it properly, and that meant he had to find a ring. He could worry about details like how he was going to ask her later.  
  
It was a very cramped shop, with only one display cabinet. The clerk behind it looked thoroughly bored, and was reading the latest edition of Witch's Weekly. He stepped up to the counter and cleared his throat. The clerk looked up, but didn't put down her magazine.  
  
"What?" She asked in a bored tone.  
  
"I'm here to buy an engagement ring. I would appreciate some help." He said, a little annoyed by the clerk's indifference.  
  
"What did you have in mind?"  
  
"I already told you; an engagement ring. Anything with a connection to Phoenixes would be fine." Bill said, nearly loosing his patience.  
  
"Sure." The clerk sighed, and went into the back room, which he assumed was the storage room.  
  
After a minute or so, she returned with a small box in her hand. She handed it to him, and he opened it, revealing a thin silver ring, with a small silver phoenix, set with two rubies in place of eyes. It was perfect. He couldn't have wished for anything that was better than that; all he hoped now was that he had enough money to purchase it.  
  
He pulled out his wallet and counted his money carefully. The ring was apparently rather cheap, since he had enough money to buy it. He stepped out of the store, and headed down the street to Flourish and Blotts, to buy Hermione some real presents; the ring wasn't really a present, since he didn't know if he'd be proposing on Christmas Eve.  
  
******'  
  
Hermione shrunk the already wrapped presents, put them in her bag, and headed back to Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, where they had decided to meet back after the shopping was done.  
  
She'd gotten presents for all Weasley siblings, Claire and even one for Mr and Mrs Weasley. She ordered chocolate and hazelnut ice-cream and sat down to wait for the others. She'd only been sitting there for a few minutes when Charlie and Claire turned up, carrying on a very lively discussion.  
  
She sat back and watched as they talked about several case points in dragon- handling, and how one easiest subdued a nesting mother. She rolled her eyes as Claire gestured wildly, Charlie watching her every move.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
She turned her head and came face to face with Cho Chang, who was standing behind her.  
  
"Cho?" She asked.  
  
"What're you doing here?"  
  
"Shopping Christmas presents." Hermione said shortly; she'd never gotten along with Cho, because of what had happened when Harry dated her.  
  
"Oh." Cho shrugged, and walked off.  
  
"Well, that was completely random." Hermione mumbled as she turned back to her ice-cream.  
  
She knew it was probably considered insane to eat ice-cream in the middle of winter, but she liked being a bit different. She was completely engrossed in eating her ice-cream, but nevertheless managed to recognize the sound of Bill's footsteps, and turned to face him when he came.  
  
"Hello, love." He said, sitting down next to her and giving her a kiss.  
  
"Hello." She said, leaning against his shoulder.  
  
"Did you get your shopping done?" He asked, glancing across the table at Charlie and Claire, who had yet to notice them.  
  
"Mhm. Did you?" She replied, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
"Mhm. Do you think they know we're here?" He indicated his brother and his newfound soul-mate.  
  
"I doubt it; they've been talking dragons since they came."  
  
"Oh, Charlie; will he ever learn to talk to a girl?" Bill asked no one in particular.  
  
"What?" Charlie looked up, confused. "What did I do?"  
  
"Nothing, and that's exactly the problem, dear brother." Bill grinned.  
  
Charlie growled something and went back to talking to Claire. Bill and Hermione watched in silence, and Bill occasionally stole a bit of Hermione's ice-cream, never once lifting his arm from her shoulders. They stayed like that for an hour, until the rest of the Weasley family and Harry came and got them.  
  
******'  
  
Two days later, Claire burst into Ginny's room, where Hermione was laying on the bed, reading a copy of ´Neverwhere´ by Neil Gaiman. Hermione looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow at Claire's frantic look. The dark- haired girl was nearly tearing out her hair in desperation.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I didn't get anything for Charlie! I'm doooooomed!" She wailed.  
  
Hermione sighed, and started going through Claire's trunk, looking for something. When she found it, she sat up again and tossed it at her friend.  
  
"Here you go." She said, and returned to her book.  
  
Claire caught the book she'd thrown and looked at the cover. ´Dragons, Real or Just a Fantasy?´ was written across it; it was one of Claire's favourite books, which she fortunately had two copies of.  
  
"You think he'll like it?" Claire asked anxiously.  
  
"Claire; it's a book about dragons. What more needs to be said?" Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Okies!" Claire said cheerily and bounded out of the room and down the stairs.  
  
Hermione smiled and shook her head; Claire could be such a loonie sometimes. But a nice loonie all the same. To think that after only a few short days, she was so infatuated with Charlie Weasley that she was ready to give him her favourite book, never mind the fact that she had two copies of it. She couldn't wait for Christmas.  
  
******'  
  
The night before Christmas. She just could not sleep, no matter how she tried. Finally, she gave up and got out of bed. She walked downstairs, avoiding the creaking floorboards, and settled down at the kitchen table.  
  
This late at night, the Burrow was silent. No twins running around pulling pranks, no Ron blowing up and yelling at everyone. All she could hear was the wind outside, the creak of someone moving in their beds upstairs, and the distant sound of the ghoul in the attic. It was restful, in a way.  
  
As quietly as she could, she made herself a cup of cocoa, and drank it up, flipping through one of Mrs Wealey's cookbooks. They were rather interesting, in fact. It was amazing how many charms and spells were needed to make something as simple as boiled potatoes, and it made her wonder how high Mrs Weasley's Charms grade was; probably pretty high.  
  
She put the book back with a sigh, and climbed the stairs up to Ginny's room again. She needed to get at least two hours of sleep before tomorrow, if her previous experiences of the Weasley-Christmas were anything to judge by. She crawled under the covers again and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep.  
  
******'  
  
Bill wasn't asleep. He was, in fact, wide awake. And it didn't look like he'd get any sleep at all tonight. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring at the ring he had bought, the same thoughts going round and round in his head.  
  
What had possessed him to buy it? He didn't want to rush things; he had Hermione had only been together for five months, and no matter how much she said she loved him, marrying after a mere five months might scare her off. Not that it'd be after only five months; proposing does not mean instant marriage, after all.  
  
But why bother with mere details when it came to things as important as this? The main thing was; he was going to propose to Hermione in a matter of days. And it scared him to death. It sounded clichéd, but he loved her so much it hurt. He'd walk across broken glass just to see her smile, and think it a small sacrifice.  
  
If there was anything he wouldn't do for her, he couldn't think of what it might be. The only thing he could not do, try as he might, was live without her. He was in physical pain every time he even dared to think about it.  
  
But what if she did not feel the same way?  
  
She snapped the tiny box shut, and placed it on his bedside table. He stared at it for a moment before crawling under the covers; it did him no good to dwell in things like that. He'd ask her to marry him, and if she said no, he'd just have to let her off the hook; it was that easy.  
  
But he had a feeling that he could not give up that easily; he'd keep asking her until she said yes or married someone else.  
  
*****'  
  
Christmas dawned, clear and cold, and Hermione was woken by an enthusiastic redhead singing Christmas carols. Hermione, not quite awake yet, jerked back the covers and growled.  
  
"Shut up, Bill!" She yelled.  
  
All sounds suddenly ceased. She groggily opened her eyes for the first time, and found herself looking, not at Bill, but at Ginny and Claire, who were trying very hard not to burst out giggling like idiots. Hermione blinked, waking up slowly, and sat up on the bed.  
  
"What's so damn funny?" She demanded.  
  
"Have you woken up to Bill's singing often, Hermione?" Ginny choked out between the giggles that threatened to escape.  
  
Hermione couldn't help herself; she blushed. Claire saw this and pointed an accusatory finger at her friend, trying to look stern, but failing miserably.  
  
"Hermione Granger; you specifically told me you had not shagged Bill Weasley. How could you lie to me?" She demanded, making Ginny turn slightly green.  
  
"I didn't lie! I've never shagged Bill!" Hermione exclaimed, still blushing, "It's just that while we were in Rome, he always woke up earlier than me, and sang those annoying songs!"  
  
"Sure, whatever you say." Claire shrugged, and then her face turned almost insanely happy. "But let's skip that; it's Christmas!" She shouted and ran out of the room, closely followed by Ginny.  
  
Hermione grumbled to herself, but got out of the bed, and followed the two of them, albeit at a slower pace. Half-way down the stairs, she ran into the twins, who were grinning maniacally at her. She shot them a suspicious look.  
  
"Good morning. Merry Christmas." She added, almost as an afterthought.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Herm-own-ninny." They intoned, imitating Victor Krum's pronunciation of her name.  
  
"We overheard the most curious thing just a moment ago.." Fred started.  
  
"That you have failed to shag old Bill." George finished.  
  
"We're very disappointed with you." They informed her solemnly. "We have to say you better make it up to us."  
  
Hermione just stared at them in disbelief. She knew she was blushing painfully, but she didn't care at the moment; the twins had just short of ordered her to go and sleep with Bill. That was definitely surprising. No, scratch that; extremely shocking and embarrassing was more like it.  
  
"Are you telling me you are going to be severely disappointed in me unless I shag Bill?" She asked carefully.  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Have anyone ever told you you're insane?" She asked, speaking as she would to a child.  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Did you believe them?"  
  
They shook their heads.  
  
"Then you better start now." She informed them and continued walking down the stairs.  
  
******'  
  
The Christmas breakfast was huge, making Hermione wonder if she would ever get out of her seat afterwards. The breakfast was followed by an all out take-no-prisoners snowball war, Weasley-style. It made for very wet participants.  
  
When it was over, and they finally tumbled into the kitchen, wet but laughing, it was nearly dinner time; Weasley-snow fights had a habit of going on for a long time. They dusted off the snow and sat down around the table to eat dinner.  
  
Hermione had a little trouble looking Bill in the eye, while remembering her conversation with the twins that morning. She tried not to make her embarrassment obvious, but it was hard work. She didn't join in the conversation, but instead sat and listened, and laughed in the right places.  
  
She picked at her food, eating occasionally, between bouts of staring at her plate. She was aware of Bill looking at her, but ignored it for the time being; she'd have enough time to explain later. Right now, it was time for presents.  
  
"To Charlie, from Claire. Well, isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Fred gushed, as he handed out the wrapped gifts.  
  
"Shut up!" Charlie threw a pillow at him.  
  
But he took the gift and unwrapped it, anyway. He gasped and stared at the cover of the book, practically drooling. He turned his head to Claire, who was sitting there nervously.  
  
"I love you, will you marry me?" He asked.  
  
"Charlie!" Mrs Weasley scolded.  
  
"I'm just kidding Mum!" Charlie laughed, but he looked genuinely happy over the gift.  
  
Everyone laughed with him, but Hermione noticed that Bill looked a little nervous. She shrugged it off, deciding to ask him some other time, and continued watching Fred and George making themselves funny over the gifts. Soon, it was time for her own gifts, both the ones she would receive and the ones she'd given.  
  
"Ah, here we have ´From Hermione, to Bill.´. I wonder what it is?" George said, shaking it experimentally.  
  
He caught Hermione's scolding look, and handed the gift to Bill, trying to look serious and adult, and failing miserably.  
  
Bill threw Hermione a questioning look, and started tearing the wrapping paper. It fell away in shreds, to reveal a cardboard box. Raising an eyebrow at her, Bill opened the box too. When he saw the contents, he grinned widely. It was a walkman, something she'd introduced him to over the summer.  
  
"´Mione; you shouldn't have." He started.  
  
"´Mione´?" The twins echoed.  
  
"I should have; you got me this, remember?" Hermione said, pulling down the neckline of her T-shirt slightly, revealing the phoenix necklace.  
  
The rest of the Weasley family, Harry and Claire gaped at the two of them and Hermione's necklace. Bill looked a little sheepish, but nodded, and hugged her.  
  
"Alright you two, enough sappiness, let's move on." Fred snorted, "Here's the next one, and it's ´From Bill, to Hermione´, what a surprise that is." He finished dryly.  
  
Hermione stuck out her tongue, but took the present anyway, and tore of the paper. It was, not in the least surprising, a book. She raised an eyebrow at Bill, who looked even more sheepish than the sheep themselves, and turned it so she could read on the cover.  
  
"´The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Was An Evil Overlord´. That's nice, I suppose, in a Slytherin kind of way, but is there a point to this gift?" She asked teasingly.  
  
"Well, "Bill said, trying to look innocent, "I thought if you had that, you could give Malfoy some advice on his upcoming Evil Overlord-dom."  
  
"You are impossible, you know that?" Hermione laughed, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.  
  
"Eh, you love me anyway." Bill grinned.  
  
"Sure I do; you're funny, you're nice, you're handsome, and you've bought me chocolate. What's not to like?" Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Is the chocolate that important to you?" Bill asked, looking surprised.  
  
Hermione reached over and patted him on the head, as if he was a puppy, and the remaining three females in the room looked as if they wanted to do the same.  
  
"That, love, is something you'll never understand." Hermione said.  
  
******'  
  
After much excitement, and a lot of badly wrapped presents, Christmas was over. On the whole, it had been a good day; Claire and Charlie had gotten trapped under one of the twins' enchanted mistletoes, and had been forced to kiss each other. It had been rather amusing.  
  
Now, it was nearly midnight, and everyone was asleep. Nearly everyone, at least; Hermione was still awake, sitting at the kitchen table, drinking cocoa. It seemed to have good potential to become a habit of hers. She looked out on the glittering snow through the window, thoughtfully. What if.?  
  
She got up, and walked out the kitchen door, to stand in the backyard. She tilted her head up and looked at the stars. The air was a bit chilly, but not horribly so, and the moonlight on the snow was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. She clutched the cup of cocoa tighter in her hands, wishing for it to warm her fingers.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
She turned around quickly, almost spilling the cocoa over the snow.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill had just been going to sleep, when he'd looked out the window and seen someone walk across the backyard and suddenly stop. He pulled on his shirt again, and put his shoes and got downstairs; he had to see who it was. From his bedroom window, it had looked like Hermione, but he couldn't be sure.  
  
He opened the kitchen door, and walked outside in the snow. It was very cold, since he was just wearing his shirt and a threadbare pair of jeans, but he could stand it. His feet sank deep into the snow as he walked, and for a moment he was afraid it would get into his shoes, but then he shook it off and continued walking.  
  
When he came closer to the person, he saw that it was indeed Hermione. She was standing there, looking up at the sky, and hadn't noticed him yet. His throat tightened; she was simply too beautiful for words. Almost automatically, his hand went to his pocket and clutched around the little box with the ring.  
  
"Hermione?" He called.  
  
She spun around, clearly surprised, but when she spotted him, she smiled broadly.  
  
"Hello, Bill." She smiled.  
  
He stepped up beside her and leaned down to kiss her. She kissed him back, but a little hesitantly at first. He pulled back and looked at her with a frown on his face.  
  
"Hermione, love, are you mad at me?" He asked.  
  
"No! What gave you such a ridiculous idea?" She said, a little angry now.  
  
"Well, you refused to look at me during dinner, you didn't seem to want to come near me right now or any other time today, so I thought you were mad at me." He explained.  
  
"I did? Oh, Bill, it has nothing to do with you; it was the twins. They decided to have a talk with me this morning and said a lot of ridiculous things, and I was thinking about it all day. I'm sorry you got the wrong impression." She rushed to say.  
  
"Good; I hate it when you're mad at me, although you are rather cute when you're angry." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. "But anyway, what're you doing out here?"  
  
"I was watching the stars; I couldn't sleep, so I came down to the kitchen, and then just got the idea, I guess." She shrugged.  
  
"Mhm. I love you." He said, out of the blue.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered, but she was blushing a little.  
  
He was silent for a moment, and just stood there with his arms around her. This was, in many ways, one of the most perfect days of his life. If he only could find the right moment to ask her the Question with a capital Q, it would be perfect. Oh, what the hell, he might as well ask now; where's the harm?  
  
He pulled out the box from his pocket and let go of her, sinking down on one knee, ignoring that his feet were going numb from the cold, and cleared his throat. She looked at him confusedly, but realization began to dawn as he opened the box.  
  
"Hermione, I know this might be sudden, after only five months together, but you are the only one I can imagine spending the rest of my life with, so I ask you; will you marry me?" He said, his voice slightly shaky.  
  
He waited for a few seconds, and was starting to feel extremely stupid, when she nodded, trembling. The smile on her face was beautiful enough to take the breath out of him.  
  
"Yes." She whispered.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; Gah! Due to some unfortunately overactive imagination, I've now got a shirtless Bill and a Charlie in leather pants (don't ask) stuck in my head, and they just won't go away!  
  
Anyway, don't fear, this isn't the end; we've still got the wedding left, and some minor other things, like telling the parents, and then there will probably, but I'm not sure, be an epilogue. 


	15. The Rumour Mill

I've decided to finish this as quickly as possible, while making it as good as I can. Hopefully, you'll still like it.  
  
*****'  
  
Neither Bill nor Hermione got any sleep that night; they stayed up, sitting on the couch in the living room, in front of the fireplace, alternating between kissing and talking. The fire crackled cheerfully in the background, and the light from it reflected off the engagement ring on Hermione's hand.  
  
It was long past three in the morning when they finally fell asleep, curled up on the couch. They were to close to each other that it was impossible to tell where one of them ended and the other began.  
  
Unfortunately, they only got a few hours of sleep. Sometime around seven o' clock, one of them was awakened by someone's laughter and a whispered conversation. Bill cracked open one eye and glared at the offending person, who turned out to be Fred. He and his twin were standing in the doorway, holding onto the doorframe for support, since they were laughing so hard.  
  
"What?" Bill growled.  
  
"You've spent the night on the fricking couch! Mum will behead you!" George gasped out between bouts of laughter.  
  
"Shut up." Bill suggested, and tried in vain to untangle himself from his fiancée.  
  
"NO way! We're telling everyone!" The twins chorused and ran out of there.  
  
"Shit." Bill muttered, waking up Hermione in the process of trying to sit up.  
  
"What?" Hermione asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, blinking owlishly.  
  
Bill smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, sitting up with her in his lap. She kissed him and snuggled up against him.  
  
"Nothing, love. Just the twins waking everyone up to tell them we spent the night on the couch." He told her.  
  
"Mhm." She mumbled into his shirt, not really wanting to move.  
  
They sat there, knowing that they would be interrupted at any moment, enjoying each others silent company. Bill put his chin on top of her head, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him.  
  
"What do you think they'll say?" She ventured after a while.  
  
"Mum will be angry with me for rushing it, while in the same breath yelling at me for not doing it sooner." Bill chuckled.  
  
"Do what sooner, Bill?" His mother demanded from the doorway.  
  
"Er, hi Mum." Bill tried.  
  
"Don't you ´hi, Mum´ me, William Weasley. Do what sooner?" Mrs Weasley said, walking up to them.  
  
Bill cringed, not knowing how to tell her, but was relieved of that duty as Hermione took charge of the situation. She held up her hand for inspection, the ring glittering on her finger, and his mother gasped. She grabbed Hermione' hand and stared at the ring, while throwing a glare at Bill.  
  
"What were you thinking proposing to her, Bill?" She asked.  
  
"What was I thinking, accepting it?" Hermione cut in. "Well, I love him, he loves me, he asked me to marry him, I accepted." She shrugged. "Simple really."  
  
"But so soon?" Mrs Weasley asked, clearly worried.  
  
"Yes, so soon." Bill said.  
  
"Well, we shouldn't protest, Molly; I did propose to you after a mere four months." Came Arthur Weasley's voice, clearly amused, from the doorway.  
  
"But..." Mrs Weasley protested feebly.  
  
"No buts, love. Leave them alone; Bill is old enough to make his own decisions, and I dare say so is Hermione." Arthur Weasley wrapped an arm around his wife, leading her out of the room.  
  
Bill and Hermione blinked, and turned to look at each other. Silence reigned in the living room for a while, before Hermione cleared her throat.  
  
"Is it just me, or is your father very much in favour of this?" She asked cautiously.  
  
"I'd hate to disappoint you, but it isn't just you." Bill replied, looking a little dazed.  
  
"Good." Hermione said and leaned in to kiss him.  
  
Bill kissed back, burying his hands in her hair, pulling her closer. Neither of them noticed Claire, Charlie and Ginny sneaking in and stopping abruptly when they spotted the couple on the couch.  
  
"And they're at it again, at, "Charlie interrupted himself to look at his watch, "7:30 in the morning. Seriously, you two are crazy." He shook his head.  
  
Bill and Hermione broke apart, blushing and slightly out of breath. They hadn't expected to be interrupted by two redheads and a friend of theirs while snogging. Unfortunately, it wasn't over yet; Fred and George, dragging Ron and Harry behind them, came bounding into the living room, and spotted them on the couch. Their eyes travelled from Bills hands around her waist, Hermione sitting on Bill's lap, and their blushing faces, and they broke out in identical evil grins.  
  
"She did it, didn't she, Gred." Fred said.  
  
"Oh, definitely, Forge; just look at them." George nodded.  
  
"Did what?" Bill asked, bewildered.  
  
Hermione buried her face in his neck and mumbled something he couldn't hear.  
  
"What was that, love?" He asked, trying to hear her.  
  
"Well, did you? Shag him, I mean." Fred asked, curious.  
  
Hermione turned scarlet, and Bill's jaw dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of his knees, while he gaped at his twin brothers, too shocked, or maybe too enraged, to say anything. He stared at them, mouth working but not sound coming out.  
  
"Oh, I guess she didn't." Fred shrugged.  
  
"Nope. Seems we were wrong." George replied.  
  
"Oh well, it happens to the best of us." Fred said before skipping out of the room with his brother in a tow.  
  
Charlie choked back the laughter that threatened to spill over at the look on his older brother's face, and dragged his sister and Claire out of the room, leaving them alone with only Ron and Harry there. Harry and Ron looked at each other and then over at the two on the couch, before making a rather hasty exit themselves.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at her sternly, while she blushed even redder. He took a deep breath, overcoming his obvious confusion and embarrassment, and cleared his throat.  
  
"What," He asked, "Was that all about?"  
  
"Nothing." She mumbled, but at seeing Bill's expression, she continued reluctantly, "Alright, I'll tell you, if you promise not to laugh."  
  
She quickly told him about her conversations with Claire, Ginny and Fred and George. He listened without a word, and when she was done, he wrapped his arms around her again, and laughed.  
  
"That would be like them, yes. I wonder if Mum and Dad told them yet." He choked out.  
  
Apparently, Mrs Weasley had told the others, because they came running into the living room again, everyone talking at once, demanding to know how, when where and why it had happened. Bill and Hermione just gave them a silly grin each and sat there in silence.  
  
*****'  
  
Once again, she was on the train back to Hogwarts, listening to Harry, Ron and Ginny chatter in the background. The week that was left of the Christmas holidays had gone by all too fast for her, and she looked down on her engagement ring, smiling like a loon.  
  
In a few short months, she would become Mrs Hermione Weasley, wife of William Weasley, and she couldn't have been happier. They had owled her parents as soon as possible, and had received the reply of ´It's out of our hands, so go ahead. Since you love him, and you're happy, we see no wrong with it´, or at least that was the general message.  
  
Of course, they had been teased mercilessly by the Weasley siblings and Harry and Claire, but Bill and Hermione hadn't really paid attention. They'd been too wrapped up in each other to even care about anyone further than two feet away from them. As Charlie had put it; ´they stayed glued to each others faces, barely coming up for air, for so long that he was surprised they remembered how to breathe.´  
  
The ride back to Hogwarts always seemed to take less time during the Christmas holidays, but Hermione hardly noticed they were even there before Ginny threw an empty Chocolate Frog wrapper at her. Hermione finally surfaced from her daydreams.  
  
"What?" She asked, bewildered.  
  
"We're here, Hermione." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Already?" She said, but stood up and followed her friends out of the compartment.  
  
And indeed, they were already at Hogwarts. Sighing, anticipating a too long term for her preferences, Hermione stepped off the train.  
  
*****'  
  
The first Potions lesson of the term, and the Gryffindors and Slytherins were gathered in the dark, dank dungeons. Hermione was sitting in the front row, still grinning like a fool. Harry and Ron were on either side of her, muffling their chuckles at her expression.  
  
Snape came sweeping in and started the lesson, launching into a lengthy lecture before he even reached the front of the classroom. He was halfway through when he suddenly broke off again, glaring at Hermione, who was still grinning.  
  
"Ms Granger, desist grinning dementedly immediately, what is so - no, please tell me that isn't an engagement ring." He finished, staring in horror at her hand.  
  
Hermione grinned even wider, and nodded.  
  
"It is, sir." She said, unable to hide her pride.  
  
"Engagement? Yeah right, as if anyone would want that Mudblood." Draco Malfoy drawled.  
  
Hermione face froze for a second, but she didn't drop her grin. Instead, she looked to Snape.  
  
"Permission to reply to that, sir?" She asked.  
  
Snape nodded cautiously, knowing full well what she was capable of when angered. Hermione nodded and turned to face Malfoy, who was wearing a superior sneer, and cleared her throat.  
  
"Someone does want me, Malfoy, and unlike you, I don't have to attempt brewing love potions to catch someone's attention. In a few months, I am going to be Hermione Weasley, and unless you want an invitation to the wedding, I suggest you stop bothering me about it." She informed him.  
  
"Weasley? Don't tell me Weasel proposed to you!" Malfoy was looking decidedly green.  
  
"No. I'm marrying a Weasley, just not the one you think. I'm marrying Bill Weasley." She raised an eyebrow at Malfoy's expression.  
  
"Bill? The tall one with the long hair and the fang?" Snape broke in, looking a little shocked. "Ms Granger, must you throw surprises on me at every turn?" He asked weakly.  
  
"No, but I fail to see why my love life is any subject of discussion for either you or Malfoy." She said, suppressing a smile at his obvious shock.  
  
Snape started, and shook himself out of his daze, continuing the lesson as if nothing had happened. Harry and Ron had a very hard time keeping a straight face, and lost twenty points from Gryffindor for ´disrupting class´ that lesson.  
  
*****'  
  
Malfoy threw her a nasty look after disappearing down to the Slytherin Common Room after the lesson, but she didn't care. She merely linked arms with Ron and Harry and walked up the stairs towards the Great Hall.  
  
"You know it's going to be all over Hogwarts by dinner, don't you?" Harry asked, "Lavender and Parvati was in there, and they gossip worse than Aunt Petunia on a bad day."  
  
"I don't care; it's nothing to be ashamed of." Hermione shrugged, dreamlike expression on her face.  
  
"Good Gods, Hermione, how're you going to pass the N.E.W.T's when you go all dreamy like that?" Ron teased.  
  
"I will pass my N.E.W.T's just fine; I've been studying since this summer, which is more than I can say for you, Ronald Weasley." Hermione shot back playfully.  
  
Ron didn't give a verbal reply, but stuck out his tongue at her, making her laugh. She dragged them towards the hall, as lunch was approaching, and let herself space out, thinking about Bill again.  
  
*****'  
  
True enough; people started throwing curious glances at her, even before lunch was over. News always travelled fast at Hogwarts, and news of this size was sure to be told to everyone before nightfall. And by tomorrow morning, there would be ten, perhaps hundred, versions of the story circling around, each one more outrageous than the last. Hopefully, they wouldn't go too much overboard.  
  
That prayer wasn't answered, as when Transfiguration began, Hermione, Harry and Ron were sitting next to each other as McGonagall came sweeping in. The dark haired woman looked around the classroom, and when her eyes lit on Hermione, her mouth turned into a thin line.  
  
"Ms Granger, explain yourself." The professor commanded.  
  
"Explain what, professor?" Hermione asked innocently, although she knew all too well what it was about.  
  
"Explain why rumours about your engagement to Severus Snape are flying around the corridors." McGonagall demanded, clearly angered.  
  
"My engagement to whom?" Hermione asked, before she was overcome with laughter.  
  
"You heard me perfectly well, Ms Granger, stop laughing this instant!"  
  
"Professor, I'm not in any way, shape or form engaged to Professor Snape. I knew the rumours would spiral out of control, but that was going too far! I'm engaged to Bill Weasley, not Professor Snape, I promise." Hermione said, choking back laughter.  
  
McGonagall nearly dropped her jaw, but then recovered and went on with the lesson. It might have been Hermione's imagination, but the usually stern professor seemed a little friendlier than usual, and didn't assign as much homework.  
  
Hermione and Harry and Ron left the lesson, and headed to the Gryffindor Tower, as they had a free hour before dinner, and Hermione had homework to do and letters to write. The boys were going to play a round of chess, conveniently forgetting their homework until the day it was due and then sit up all night to finish it, and not get to bed before three in the morning.  
  
*****'  
  
Dinner came rather quickly, and as Hermione sat down by the Gryffindor table, everyone turned to look at her, while at the same time trying not to be too obvious about it. The result was a lot of quick glances and awkward expressions, but Hermione ignored them.  
  
Over the last hour, both in the Common Room, and on the way down to the Great Hall, she'd overheard several versions of who she was engaged to, when people thought she couldn't hear them. However, she could, and they were getting rather annoying, and the rumour about her and Snape was tame in comparison to some of the others.  
  
Finally, she had had enough. Setting down her fork and her milk glass with a thump, she looked at Ron and Harry, who looked back apprehensively. She gave them her best no-nonsense look, and set her jaw firmly.  
  
"I have had enough; this ends now." She said, and stood up, striding to the High Table.  
  
The students once again turned to look at her, as did the teachers. She walked straight up to Dumbledore and leaned down to whisper in his ear. He nodded, and she walked in front of the table, planting her feet firmly on the floor, and glared out over the students. She cleared her throat.  
  
"May I have your attention please?" She began, even though every pair of eyes in the hall was trained on her already, "There have been rumours about me flying around the school since this morning. Silly rumours, outrageous rumours, insane rumours, even. I do not appreciate people lying about me, even if it is in good faith. So I am going to tell you the truth, with no room for misconception." She took a deep breath.  
  
The silence in the hall would have been comical, had it not been for the seriousness of the subject. She fixed them with a glare.  
  
"I am not, and I repeat NOT, engaged to Severus Snape, no matter what your friends have told you," At this, Snape dropped his fork and stared at her and then at the students in shock, "nor am I engaged to Harry, Ron, Malfoy, and for the love of all things holy, I am not engaged to Ginny. I can inform you that I feel no attraction towards my own sex. I am, however, engaged to a Weasley. Bill Weasley, to be exact. Now that we've got that cleared up, maybe you could go back to worrying about your own lives instead of mine. Thank you, that is all." She finished pleasantly, before walking back and taking her seat.  
  
Ron and Harry stared at her, open mouthed, and Ginny, who was snickering at everyone else's expressions, clapped her on the shoulder, as if to say ´good work´. Hermione smiled serenely and went back to her food. Mission accomplished; there would be no more outrageous rumours about her. There might be rumours, but they would be correct for once.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; I have been away for a few days, and therefore had no time to update, but here it is. It's a teensy weensy bit longer than the last few chapters, and I hope you enjoy it. I don't know how many more there will be, but there won't be many, I'm afraid. There will, however be an epilogue to this one. 


	16. Wedding Plans, New Friends, and Outrageo

I love reviews, and you guys seem to think just like me for some reason. Hopefully, I didn't offend too many reviewers with my little rumours in the last chapter. And I apologize beforehand for the first scene of this chapter. My Blaise/Hermione obsession ran away with me, but I managed to rein it in before I changed the pairing of this fic.  
  
******'  
  
After her little speech in the Great Hall, the students more or less left her alone. Apparently, they didn't find it as fun to gossip when they knew the truth. She frankly didn't care, and went on with her life as normal. Bill had written several times about how his mother was planning the wedding, and not even an avalanche could deter her, and Hermione had smiled and written back.  
  
She was currently heading across one of the courtyards, towards the Charms classroom. She was so deep in her Charms textbook that she nearly stumbled over someone else's feet while walking. She looked up and started to apologize, but the words died on her lips as she spotted the green and silver tie, the black hair and blue eyes of Slytherin Blaise Zabini.  
  
She swallowed hard; if anyone was likely to harass her, it was one of the Slytherins. Draco Malfoy, who was the root of her troubles at the moment, would have, and there was no reason for his house-mate to be any different.  
  
Blaise, however, seemed to ignore the fact that he was supposed to me mean to her, and gave her a hand up. She took it and made a show of dusting herself off, eying him suspiciously.  
  
"Congratulations are in order, I believe." Blaise said, taking her by surprise.  
  
"Er, thanks?" She said, wondering why he didn't bite her head off.  
  
"Nice speech, by the way; it had Draco fuming for hours." Blaise grinned. "Smoke?"  
  
He held up a Muggle cigarette, offering her one, but she shook her head, confused. First, he congratulates her, and then he offers her a smoke. What the hell was wrong with this picture?  
  
"Why though?" Blaise continued, making her blink.  
  
Why what? Why engagement, why speech or why Bill? She settled for the last, as it was easier to explain. She grinned; talking about Bill was a favourite activity of hers.  
  
"Well, I could go on and on for hours about how sweet he is, but then you'd die of sugar-sickness. I'll have to settle for the simple truth; because he's Bill Weasley." She said.  
  
"Nicely put. You have Charms now, don't you?" He asked, changing subjects.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded and hiked her book bag up, as it had been slipping off her shoulder.  
  
"I'm heading over that way too. Need any help with that?" He gestured to her bag.  
  
"Alright, who are you and what have you done to the real Blaise Zabini?" She asked.  
  
"I am the real Blaise Zabini; just because I'm Slytherin doesn't mean I'm the definition of the word bastard, you know." He snorted. "Besides, the Sytherins in my year are boring conversationalists. I decided to find someone else to talk to, and you happened to stumble over my feet."  
  
"Ah. Truce then?" She asked, holding out her hand.  
  
"Definitely." He answered and took it.  
  
She'd stumbled over someone's feet, stopped herself from going into a rant about Bill, joked with a Slytherin, and then made friends with said student, all in no more than ten minutes. What a day. She wondered what Ron and Harry would say about it; they were enemies of Slytherins in general, and not just Malfoy and she had grounds to believe that Blaise would be forced to hire bodyguards before this was over.  
  
******'  
  
Bill rolled his eyes heavenwards and heaved a sigh as his mother once again launched into a rant about his upcoming wedding. She had gone absolutely mad after finding out about the engagement; he was the first of her children to be married, true, but did she have to be so bloody obsessive?  
  
She'd talked about locations, when they would have it, how, who would be invited, and even tried to talk him into choosing flowers. When she'd done that, he'd gotten up and walked out of the room without another word. There were limits, and his patience had been sorely tested.  
  
He pulled out the latest letter from Hermione and re-read it as his mother ranted and raved about bridesmaids, or whatever she was on about. He'd received the letter yesterday, and wanted to read it again to make sure there wasn't anything he'd missed.  
  
Dear Bill.  
  
Something very strange and not to mention shocking happened today. After the speech I made, the one I told you about, everyone left me alone, more or less. However, Malfoy and the Slytherins weren't about to give up. Imagine my surprise when I tripped over one of the Slytherins feet and he helped me up again.  
  
Blaise Zabini is a strange fellow, I tell you. He helped me up, congratulated me on the engagement, offered me a smoke and then said he wanted a truce with me, all within the span of ten minutes.  
  
Unfortunately, Ron and Harry saw me talking to him, and gave me the third degree when I came back to the Common Room. They asked all sorts of ludicrous questions, such as if I was cheating on you. I said that of course I wasn't; no one in their right mind would throw you away. And I sure as hell won't.  
  
Blaise has become a friend of mine, and he will probably turn up at the wedding, but I can assure both you and them that I am in no way even contemplating cheating on you. So don't worry.  
  
I'm sorry about your mother nagging you; I shouldn't have told her like that. However, hope you live through it. Thankfully, my mother is nothing like that. If she was, imagine the nightmare if the two of them were planning the wedding together.  
  
I miss you very much. I'll see you on Graduation Day, if not sooner.  
  
Love  
  
Hermione.  
  
He smiled. He always did while reading her letter, for some reason. It didn't matter that she'd spent most of the letter talking about one Blaise Zabini boy, not when she finished it like she did. It was nice to hear she'd made friends outside Harry, Ron and Ginny. Even if it was a Slytherin.  
  
******'  
  
After the inquisition she'd received from Harry and Ron, things went a little smoother, although Blaise was taken to the side by them and given ´The Talk´, which more or less summed up to if-you-hurt-Hermione-we-won't- hesitate-to-kill-you. On the whole, he took it well.  
  
As the N.E.W.T's approached, nervous breakdowns and students bursting into tears became more and more frequent. The Fifth Year O.W.L's hysteria was nothing compared to this. Hermione handled the stress by shutting herself into her room and studying, and when she grew tired of studying, she thought of Bill, reading and writing letters.  
  
The teachers tried to give her enough homework to keep her occupied, but not even they could keep up with her. It went so far that she spent one day and one night in the library, trying to find books she hadn't read yet, books that could help her with her exams.  
  
The only thing that kept her sane during those weeks were the letters from Bill, and Blaise, Harry and Ron's habit of coming into the library and dragging her outside, and then proceeding to dump her in the lake, something which had happened on several occasions when she didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
Needless to say, the three boys had developed an aptitude for running very fast after that first episode. Not that it stopped them from dumping her in the lake. She'd written to her fiancé about it, and he'd written back and told her that that was what she got for burying herself in the library all day, and that if she didn't stop, he'd be forced to come and get her.  
  
She ignored that statement, instead opting to continue her studies just as normal, even a bit more intense. This, it would prove, was a mistake on her part. She should have listened to her husband-to-be and relaxed a little.  
  
An angry Weasley could prove dangerous to ones health, sanity or studying habits. A determined Weasley even more so.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione was nose deep in her Charms textbook, and therefore didn't hear the footsteps until the owner of them was standing right behind her. She scribbled down a few more lines on her note-parchment, and was just about to turn a page when a voice interrupted her.  
  
"You've forgot the ´v´ in ´leviosa´."  
  
Automatically, she corrected the mistake, even before she recognized the voice. When she did, her head shot up and she spun around in her seat, almost knocking the chair over and stared.  
  
"Bill?" She asked, completely shell-shocked.  
  
"Yes, love?" He replied as he took the opportunity to lean in and kiss her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She wanted to know, as soon as she'd caught her breath after the kiss.  
  
"Picking you up." He grinned.  
  
"Picking me up?" She echoed. "Why?"  
  
"We, my love, are going to leave for Hogsmeade; I don't want you to have to go to the infirmary before the N.E.W.T's have even begun." He told her and easily pulled her out of her chair.  
  
"Bill, let go! I have to finish getting the notes on that charm!" She said desperately.  
  
"Love, I know I told you to take studying seriously and that I appreciated that you did, but this is getting ridiculous. You need a break, and don't you dare protest." He grinned at her, and dragged her out of the library.  
  
"Bill, I love you, but this is ridiculous." She whined.  
  
"I'm glad we agree on that love." He said happily.  
  
Hermione gave up and resigned herself to her fate at the hands of Bill Weasley. There wasn't much she could do against someone who was a more than a head taller than she was and at least three times as strong.  
  
*****'  
  
Down in the entrance hall, they met Dumbledore and Snape, who were standing just inside the doors, discussing something. When the two men spotted Bill and Hermione, their conversation stopped abruptly and Snape stared at them, shocked, while Dumbledore produced something resembling a wink.  
  
Bill grinned and nodded at them, and proceeded to drag Hermione out the door and down the road to Hogsmeade. Snape stared after them, his mouth ajar, looking shocked out of his mind. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Snape turned back to him.  
  
"Did I just see Hermione Granger take a break from studying with less than two weeks left before the N.E.W.T's?" He asked weakly.  
  
"Yes, you did Severus." Dumbledore smiled.  
  
"The world has gone bloody mad." Snape muttered and shook his head. "Completely utterly mad."  
  
******'  
  
Hermione mock-glared at Bill over her Butterbeer, and he simply smiled back. They were sitting in the Hogs Head, mainly because the Three Broomsticks was packed with people. It wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, and therefore no students there, but someone had a birthday party there, and they didn't want to intrude.  
  
"What," She asked, "Was the purpose of dragging me out of the castle in the middle of very important studying?"  
  
"You," He paused just as she had, "needed a break. And this is it. I know you want to study as much as you can love, but you will burn yourself out if you continue at this pace."  
  
Hermione fell silent after that, and just stared at her Butterbeer. She knew she'd been overworking, but she couldn't help herself; she had to, unless she wanted to go insane with worry about the exams. She smiled; thankfully she had a caring fiancé, who didn't hesitate to break into Hogwarts to drag her away from her studies.  
  
"Mum seems to have hit a new low; now she's making lists of all the people she wants to invite to the wedding." Bill said, switching subjects easily. "So far, it's over a hundred people listed."  
  
"Oh, gods, do we even know that many people?" Hermione asked, biting back laughter.  
  
"I doubt it. I mean, there's my family, there's Harry and Ron, there's probably Angelina and Katie, Fred and George's girlfriends," He added at her puzzled look, "And then there's your parents, and probably Claire for Charlie-related reasons, and that's it."  
  
"What about me? Don't I get an invitation?" A voice from the table behind them asked.  
  
Hermione looked up and Bill turned around, and both of them set eyes on Blaise Zabini, who was sitting there with a Butterbeer in his hands. He grinned and waved cheerfully, before taking a swig of his Butterbeer. Hermione blinked; it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, so he shouldn't be here, yet he was.  
  
"Blaise, what are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
"Drinking Butterbeer?" He tried.  
  
"Oh no, you've got to come up with something better than that." Hermione shook her head.  
  
"Oh alright; I snuck out since the exam-stress was killing me. It's not like you need to know about the secret entrance to Hogsmeade in the Slytherin 7th year boys' dorms anyway." He blinked, and looked suspiciously at the bottle in his hand, "I should not have said that. I wonder if this is really Butterbeer?"  
  
"Yeah, anyway. What was that about an invitation?" Bill asked, grinning slightly.  
  
"Well, I thought I deserved one, seeing as I am a friend of hers, and that an invitation is the least she can do when I just revealed a secret way out of school to her." Blaise said, trying to look innocent.  
  
"Alright; you're in. It's gotta be better than some of the people Mum's trying to invite." Bill shrugged.  
  
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Blaise muttered, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice. "But you must really be something, Bill, since you got Hermione away from her studies without her hexing you. Alas, throwing her in the lake might not have been the best idea." He sighed.  
  
"You threw her in the what?" Bill exclaimed.  
  
"The lake. Don't' worry; she got out fine, it's pretty shallow." Blaise shrugged.  
  
He finished his Butterbeer, threw a few coins on the table, stood up, winked and was gone. Bill gaped like a fish, before turning to Hermione again, who seemed to have trouble breathing through her giggles.  
  
"Let me get this straight; he threw you in the lake?" Bill asked, trying to sound calm.  
  
"Yes. Well, he and Ron and Harry, as a matter of fact. And Bill, they were only joking, don't take it too seriously." Hermione chuckled at his immediate instinct to protect her.  
  
It was rather sweet. To think that she'd be his wife in only a few short months, when she last year couldn't even have imagined that she'd be his girlfriend, much less fiancée was overwhelming.  
  
*****'  
  
Bill walked her back after they'd spent an hour or two in Hogsmeade, and they discussed wedding plans. They decided to have the wedding as soon after graduation as possible, since everyone would probably go their separate ways airwards, and would be hard to get a hold of. The guest list was narrowed down considerably, to contain only the Weasley family, Harry, Claire, a few of the other Gryffindors and Blaise. And since Blaise was coming, so was his family. Even with all those people, the list was half the size it had been.  
  
They reached Hogwarts, and started towards the library. They had only gotten halfway when they ran into Draco Malfoy and Twiddledee and Twiddledum, more commonly known as Crabbe and Goyle. He sneered at them.  
  
"Well if it isn't the little Mudblood and her boyfriend." He taunted.  
  
Bill raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"You have some nerve for someone two heads shorter than me." He said.  
  
"Threatening me, are you?" Malfoy asked, still sneering.  
  
"No, I'm just stating facts. If you want threats, that's fine by me." Bill narrowed his eyes, "If you ever call Hermione ´Mudblood´ again, I will hex you so bad that even your mother won't recognize you. If you ever look at her the wrong way again, I'll break every bone in your body. If you touch her, I'll go to Azkaban for putting you six feet under."  
  
"How dare you?" Malfoy demanded, "How dare you threaten me like that? Don't you know who I am?"  
  
Bill gave him a level glare, which actually made him cringe a bit.  
  
"You're Lucius Malfoy's son, aren't you? Tell him and his cellmates' hello from me next time you see him." Bill smirked.  
  
Malfoy sputtered, too infuriated to from coherent words. Bill grinned a bit, and even Hermione smiled, despite the fact that she was angry with Malfoy.  
  
"Oooh, good one, Bill. I haven't seen him like that since Hermione's speech." Blaise commented, as he appeared just behind Malfoy.  
  
"Hey, Blaise, just the person I wanted to see." Bill said.  
  
"Really? Set the date, have you?" Blaise asked, eyes alight with interest.  
  
"Yeah, we've set it at a week after graduation." Hermione told him.  
  
"Wheee! I'll be there!" Blaise said, before skipping away merrily.  
  
Bill, Hermione, and Malfoy looked after him uncertainly.  
  
"Hermione, has Flitwick been letting you practise Cheering Charms today?" Bill asked.  
  
"Nope. I think he had too much Butterbeer; I bet it's a sugar rush." Hermione shrugged.  
  
"Makes sense. Come on, love, you've got an essay to finish and God help me if I keep you from it."  
  
They walked off towards the library, leaving Malfoy to gape after them, before turning on his heels and marching after Blaise. Crabbe and Goyle were left standing in the corridor for a few minutes before they realized that Malfoy was gone. Then, they set out to look for him.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; Alright, Blaise was so far out of character that he almost came out on the other side. But I blame it on the sugar rush. So, anyway, important notes. I'm going away for a week, and then school starts, so updates will be a bit later in the coming than they have been. 


	17. NEWT's, Graduation and Pranks

I'm baaaaaaack! If I ever even contemplate going camping again, kick me. Seriously, kick me. I haven't been that sick in years. *shudder*. However, I'm back, and I'm writing at full speed again. Sadly, in three days, I'm going back to school and won't have as much time to write as I've had earlier. But fear not! I will not abandon you! *Does Knight-in-Shining- Armour imitation*  
  
******'  
  
Charms class, one of the last before the N.E.W.T's, and Hermione was sitting in the front row. Bill had left with a promise to get his mother to St Mungo's if she didn't calm down, and she had gone back to her studying, although not as furiously as before. Still, she had to study, since these exams were determining the rest of her life, at least career-wise.  
  
She was just scribbling down some important notes that Professor Flitwick had given them, when said professor let out an excited squeak at fell down his stack of books in the front of the classroom. She looked up, confused, and was just about to go and help him up when he stood up again.  
  
She watched in horror as he unrolled what looked like a terrifyingly familiar newspaper, an Italian one, and levitated it in front of the whole class. It was the same newspaper she and Bill had ended up in when they broke the Borealis Curse. And now her Hogwarts professor was showing it to her classmates. She couldn't help but blush furiously, making Lavender, who was sitting next to her, lean over and ask is she was alright. She brushed the girl off with a nod, and concentrated on her notes.  
  
"Look everyone! Ms Granger is in the paper!" Flitwick exclaimed, making Hermione want to sink through the floor.  
  
A murmur went through the class, and all of them glanced at her, but she kept her gaze locked at the blackboard behind Flitwick's desk.  
  
"Did you really break a Borealis Curse, Ms Granger?" Flitwick asked.  
  
She nodded mutely, desperately wanting everything to go away, and leave her alone.  
  
"How delightful! The Borealis Curse is one of the hardest curses to break in the world!" Flitwick continued.  
  
"Well, it's Hermione Granger, isn't it? She helped kill the Dark Lord. Why should a teensy weensy curse be any different?" Someone called out from the back of the classroom.  
  
Everyone turned around to see Blaise Zabini sitting there with his feet on the desk and his quill lying forgotten on the floor, grinning like a madman. More than a few of them were shocked, since Blaise was a Slytherin, and his comment had sounded decidedly like a compliment, and since none of them knew all too much about the friendship between him and Hermione, it was rather confusing.  
  
"Recovered from your sugar rush, have you?" Hermione asked him, "And for your information, I had help; from Bill, to be exact."  
  
"Sugar rush? I don't know what you're talking about?" He asked innocently.  
  
"Oh, you don't do you? So you just go skipping down the corridors, saying ´Wheee!´ at the top of your lungs as an everyday habit, do you?" She grinned slightly.  
  
It was fun to confuse her classmates, and by the look of their faces, they were beyond confused by now.  
  
"Why, not at all; I plead temporal insanity." Blaise winked, and then seemed to notice the rest of the class for the first time, "Well? What're you looking at? I mean, I know I'm handsome, but this is ridiculous."  
  
"Everyone, run for cover; Blaise's head will explode any second now." Hermione warned in a mock-monotone voice.  
  
"I resent that; I'm not the one who made the papers." He shot back, apparently enjoying himself.  
  
"Whatever. We've got a lesson to attend to, so if you would kindly remove your over-inflated ego from the classroom, we'd appreciate it very much." She said, and turned back to her notes.  
  
Blaise did the same, and class was supposed to resume, but when it didn't, Hermione looked up to see the class staring at the two of them. She sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Elvis has left the building. There's nothing to see here. Go back to your work. Do I have to spell it out for you?" She asked.  
  
The class resumed, but many curious looks were thrown her way the rest of the day. She ignored them, but Blaise didn't, explaining the incident to everyone within hearing range, without really explaining very much. Sometimes, she mused, it was good to have a Slytherin around.  
  
*******'  
  
The tension in the room was so thick you could, had it crossed your mind to try, cut it with a knife. Students were standing around the room in small groups, mentally going over all theirs notes, nearly chewing their nails to nothing while doing so.  
  
If the nervous breakdowns before the O.W.L's had been bad, this was worse tenfold. Hannah Abbott had already been sent to the hospital wing twice, as had Lisa Turpin. And to everyone's surprise, so had Draco Malfoy. Of course, that could have been because of the potion Blaise slipped into his goblet during dinner, but nobody was really complaining.  
  
Hell, seeing Draco Malfoy jump around his seat, screeching about large pink spiders crawling all over him was worth having to stand his grumpiness afterwards. Blaise was, after revealing that it was he who was responsible for it, the hero of the hour, at least to the Gryffindors.  
  
Now, said hero of the hour was sitting in one of the few chairs in the room, whistling to himself, as if he didn't have a life-deciding, nerve- wracking test coming up. He was looking out the window, idly swinging his foot, which was resting on the armrest of the chair, back and forth. He was annoyingly, appallingly calm.  
  
Hermione, who was attempting to sit next to him, glared at him from time to time, glares which he returned with a cheerful wink. ´Attempting´ was the key word; she got up every few minutes and walked back and forth on the floor, only to sit down again, and then do it all over.  
  
"How can you be so calm?" She demanded after the fifth round of walking and sitting down again.  
  
"Serenity is a dominant trait in the Zabini bloodline." He answered with a wink. "And besides, even if I do fail my test, I've got enough to fall back on. What do you think of a career in professional study breaking?" He asked, referring to his and Hermione's best friend's attempts to break her studying habits.  
  
"What do you think of a career in street sweeping? You better start thinking about it, since that is what you'll be doing if you fail." Hermione shot back.  
  
"You faith in me is astounding." He grinned, and looked over at where Draco Malfoy was standing, glaring at everyone who came close. "But I fear that the day when I am sweeping the streets is yet far off. I merely studied in advance and was born with a rather extensive memory. Now, what shall we do about Draco? He needs to be shaken up before the test."  
  
"Nah. He got it bad enough with the pink spiders." Hermione shrugged. "But, I'm not saying no to an end-of-year prank at graduation."  
  
"Alright. I'll start planning." Blaise grinned.  
  
Professor Flitwick came in and started calling names, and neither of them had time to talk anymore. In fact, all students fell silent, staring nervously at the doors to the Great Hall. This was it, and neither of them wanted to fail. Except maybe Blaise, but since he could only be termed criminally insane, he was excused for the time being.  
  
******'  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Blaise staggered out of the Entrance Hall, arms slung over each other's shoulders. Blaise was grinning like a madman, Ron and Harry were nearly weeping with relief, and Hermione wasn't much better.  
  
The three Gryffindors had decided, at Hermione's begging to wait for Blaise. Seeing as his last name began with a ´Z´, he was one of the last students out of the hall. He came walking out with a cocky grin on his face and his hands in his pockets, once again whistling a song which Hermione recognized as ´Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous´, by Good Charlotte. It was obvious that he had done well.  
  
Now they were off to the Three Broomsticks for a celebration round of Butterbeer. Harry and Ron had both passed their tests, albeit barely, except Harry's DADA test, and they were as happy as they could be. Hermione, who had passed with flying colours, was ecstatic. Blaise, who hadn't said anything about how he did, was his usual, impossibly cheerful self.  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron collapsed in their chairs as Blaise ordered Butterbeer for the four of them. Over the last few weeks, a strange friendship had formed between the four of them. Never had they thought they would make friends with a Slytherin, but they found themselves actually enjoying it.  
  
Blaise was nothing like the archetype for a Slytherin; he easy going, cheerful and always ready for a joke or a prank. He never called anyone Mudblood, he never insulted anyone except for the purpose of joking with them, and he had actually played a prank on the uncrowned king of Slytherin himself, Draco Malfoy. This made him a good friend by default.  
  
Blaise set the four bottles down on the table, before plopping down in the chair next to Harry. Hermione was sitting across from him with Ron next to her, and there was an empty chair next to Harry, and one next to Blaise. No one was there to take the vacant chairs, but neither of them cared.  
  
"Here's to us." Blaise said, raising his glass.  
  
"Here's to us." The others chorused and drank.  
  
"Can I join in?" A voice asked.  
  
They turned around to see Lavender standing there, leaning against one of the tables. Ginny, who had a hopeful look on her face, was right behind. Blaise grinned and nodded. Lavender smiled back and sat down next to him, and Ginny took the only available chair left; the one next Harry. Harry didn't look at all displeased about the situation, and neither did Ron. Ron had, after all, been trying to get the two of them together since Fifth year.  
  
"I knew it was a good idea to get sloshed on Butterbeer." Blaise said.  
  
"Um," Lavender broke in, "You can't get sloshed on Butterbeer."  
  
"I know, but we can have fun trying!" Blaise shot back, winking.  
  
"Alright then!" Lavender said, and grabbed his glass, drinking.  
  
"Hey!" He exclaimed, but she only giggled.  
  
Hermione and the others watched as he and Lavender started a contest, which they baptized Get-Sloshed-On-Butterbeer-Or-Die-Trying All-comers. It was rather fun to watch them, as Blaise seemed to be the only person in the universe who could actually get high on Butterbeer. He didn't get drunk, as such, but he got more and more hyper by the glass, and was soon only inches away from giggling like a schoolgirl.  
  
The other four spent the evening talking about everything under the sun, occasionally joined by Blaise and Lavender, as they took a momentary break in their contest. When darkness fell, and it was time to go back to Hogwarts, all of them could say they had had a very good day, despite the exams.  
  
"It's been one hell of a year." As Blaise put it.  
  
The others could do nothing but agree. The night drew to a close, and they headed back to Hogwarts, Blaise and Lavender hanging onto each other and giggling uncontrollably. Hermione grinned to herself.  
  
"He'll be hearing this at the Leaving Feast." She mumbled to herself.  
  
******'  
  
The Leaving Feast came, and Hermione was standing in front of everyone, ready to do her speech. All students were gazing up at her, looking bored, but a small fraction of them were smiling at her. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender, and over at the Slytherin table, Blaise. She grinned slightly. A few more hours, and she would be out of Hogwarts and meeting Bill again.  
  
She cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, and began her speech.  
  
"My stay here at Hogwarts has been the best years of my life. I can honestly say that I haven't had this much fun since I was born. And the night after the N.E.W.T's, I can tell you, was blazingly hilarious." She started.  
  
"If anyone had told me before that that I would be seeing Blaise Zabini giggle like a schoolgirl, I would have sent them to St Mungo's in a straightjacket. Now I know better. He can, and does, giggle on occasion, at least after a large dose of Butterbeer. However, we're not here to discuss Blaise's shortcomings. We're here to discuss leaving Hogwarts." She grinned at Blaise's stupefied expression.  
  
She began a long and complicated speech about her years at Hogwarts, leaving everyone staring at her, and Blaise looking like he didn't know whether to laugh, cry or bash her head in.  
  
She finished off her speech ten minutes later, upon seeing even her most faithful listeners begin to droop.  
  
"And that, as they say, is that. Good luck in life, and goodbye." She said, and stepped down from the newly-erected dais.  
  
Everyone stared at her as she walked down to her seat. It was the number one most insane graduation speech ever. She had talked about her adventures with Ron and Harry, making references to a ´Snuffles´, and how he should rest in peace, and various other things which her fellow students had no idea about, with the exception of Harry, Ron and Ginny.  
  
As she reached her seat, they made space for her, and smiled slightly. Her mention of Snuffles had brought tears to their eyes, causing the Gryffindors to wonder a bit, but no one had dared to ask. She sat down, smiling back at them, and listened to Dumbledore's speech.  
  
******'  
  
The Leaving Feast was over, and with it the Graduation Day. Students, teachers and parents were gathered outside the Great Hall, and it seemed all of them were talking at the same time. A murmur of conversation lay over the large hall, as Hermione made her way towards Blaise, who had been shooting glares at her since her speech. As soon as she was within hearing- range, Blaise started growling.  
  
"What the hell was that stunt you pulled?" He hissed, practically spitting the words out.  
  
"What stunt?" She asked innocently, noticing his parents in the background.  
  
"You told the whole school I giggle like a little girl! You've got them thinking I'm gay! Some Ravenclaw came up to me a few minutes ago and asked if I had a boyfriend!" He was almost too enraged to form coherent sentences.  
  
"That'd be Terry, right? Too bad, he already dates Oliver Wood." She shrugged, making Blaise gape like a fish. "But I was only telling the truth, Blaise; you are the only person in the universe who gets high in Butterbeer."  
  
"Not true! Lavender wasn't exactly sober either!" He protested.  
  
"Oh, it's Lavender now, is it?" She asked, smirking at his blushing face.  
  
Blaise just sputtered something, which not even Hermione with all her knowledge of languages could make out, but it sounded like French. And it sounded rather foul as well, and just as he was about to launch into a lengthy tirade about her in English, a voice broke in, also speaking in French, saying something that made Blaise blush and shut his mouth.  
  
Hermione, recognizing the voice and spun around on her heels, fierce joy on her face. Behind her, with his backpack slung over his shoulder and dust still in his clothes, was Bill Weasley. The fang still dangled from one ear, and the ponytail was still there, but he seemed a bit worn out. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed back. He smelled of dust and old leather, but she didn't care; even with the visit he'd made a few weeks ago, it had been far too long since she'd seen him.  
  
After a while, someone cleared their throat behind them, forcing them to break off their snogging session. Standing there was Harry, Ron, Lavender, Ginny and Blaise, grinning madly, and even Blaise's parents, who were standing in the background, seemed faintly amused.  
  
Somewhere off to the side, Draco Malfoy turned into a large, yellow canary right under his mother's nose. The group ignored him, except for Blaise, who sent him a proud look, and grinned evilly. The end-of-year prank had been successful.  
  
"Hello love." Bill grinned at her, a grin which she returned readily.  
  
"Hello. Came directly from work?" She asked.  
  
"Mhm, they had me excavating old graves in Wales. Thankfully, I'm on a break now, for at least three months. Seems like we'll be to get married after all." He winked at her and kissed her again.  
  
"Did you ever doubt it?" She shot back, after they broke the kiss.  
  
"Nope. If you didn't come to the wedding, I'd hunt you down." He smiled cheerfully before dragging her towards the doors, closely followed by the little group of friends.  
  
*****'  
  
The fire crackled in the background, casting just enough light to see by over the room. Despite the still bare, white walls, and the faint smell of dust in the air, Bill's flat was now inhabitable. He had managed to get furniture, such as the couch in front of the fireplace, and it seemed more like a home and less like a mausoleum.  
  
The young couple curled up on the couch, however, took no notice of their surroundings. They were half-lying, wrapped in each others arms. Not only were they half-asleep, but they seemed very content as well.  
  
Hermione snuggled closer to Bill, and smiled happily. She could honestly say that this had been one of the best days in her whole life, even with the leaving of Hogwarts. Since this feeling had been the cause of a long snogging session, Bill wasn't about to disagree either.  
  
******'  
  
Ending Notes; yes, I know it was an abrupt end to the chapter, but it is past midnight here and I'm supposed to be sleeping, and besides, I couldn't find any better way to finish the chapter. Thank you all for your encouraging reviews; they've been a great fun to read. Hopefully, I'll receive a few more *winks*. Well, I'll be going off to bed now. Or..That fanfic looks rather interesting... 


	18. MovieMania

School start = less time to write. Less time to write = longer between updates. Simple? I'm glad we understand each other. *grins*. This chapter was late for other reasons as well; I got stuck on FictionAlley, discussing the greatness that is the Potterverse, and updating my other stories.  
  
I also spent one completely wasted day with my class, not far from where I live, spending about two hours sitting on a concrete road, drawing fanart and acquiring nothing but a backache. Hey, I got to drool over the guy I like, so the day wasn't totally wasted, was it? But then again, all time not spent breathing, talking, drawing and writing Harry Potter is wasted time. *grins*  
  
However, here is the new update.  
  
*****'  
  
Hermione awoke the next morning realizing that she was in Bill's arms, and subsequently in Bill's bed. It took her a second to adjust, but then she realized there was a decided lack of clothing as well. Read; none.  
  
After a moment of indecision, she decided she was too happy for words; it was bound to happen eventually, they were getting married after all, and she wasn't about to start protesting now. Bill's arms were wrapped around her and his face was buried in her hair. She smiled and sighed happily.  
  
"Happy?" He mumbled.  
  
"Very." She answered, kissing him soundly.  
  
"Good." He grinned. "But we should probably be getting up now, or we'll be stuck here all day."  
  
"You don't hear me complaining." Hermione sighed, but got up.  
  
"Me neither, but I promised Mum we'd come visit." Bill said as he pulled his shirt on.  
  
Hermione muttered something about meddlesome mothers, but got dressed. If Molly Weasley wanted you to visit, and you'd agreed, it would be suicide not to come. The wrath of the Weasley matron was something even Voldemort would be afraid of.  
  
After a quick breakfast, they Apparated to the Burrow. Since Hermione had passed her Apparation test earlier that year, it was easier than before. Bill was holding her hand tightly, and seemed almost insanely happy.  
  
He pushed the door open, and almost immediately, they were swamped in a hug from Mrs Weasley, who came running out of the kitchen as soon as she heard the door open. Hermione tried to hold back a laugh at her rushed talk about the wedding, but only managed to grin like an idiot.  
  
They sat down around the kitchen table, and soon all Weasleys had joined them, including f Fred and George, who were looking deliberately innocent; they were planning something, and Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to know what. Especially if it had anything to do with her wedding to their brother.  
  
The rest of the day was spent in discussions about the wedding. When the Weasley family, and especially Fred and George, found out that Blaise would be coming, their reactions were quite violent.  
  
"What? A Slytherin? You invited a Slytherin to you wedding? Hermione, are you mad?" They chorused, looking alarmed.  
  
"No. He is." She grinned.  
  
"Wait. Zabini. That's the scrawny kid that used to hide in Greenhouse Five, drinking Butterbeer when he thought no one saw him, right?" George broke in. "The one with the black hair?"  
  
"He did what? Oh, he'll never hear the end of that!" Hermione laughed.  
  
The list of people invited to the wedding, despite having been cut down several sizes, was still rather on the long side. All Gryffindors in Hermione's year were invited, as were some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and of course Blaise Zabini. Luna was invited as well, since she was probably coming anyway, as was Hagrid, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and Flitwick.  
  
The Order, including Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher, were sent an invitation, telling them they could bring anyone they wanted.  
  
When the list was finally finalized, it was well into the night, and Bill and Hermione said goodbye to the Weasleys, and left for Bill's flat, where Hermione would be living until the wedding.  
  
*****'  
  
The week went by agonizingly slowly, making Hermione want to bite something and rip it to shreds. She'd spent a few days with her parents, who helped her pack her things, since she was going to move out in a week, and she was really going to miss them.  
  
They hadn't been able to make it to her graduation because her aunt, her mother's sister, had fallen ill and had to go to the hospital. They'd apologized frequently; a little sad since they really wanted to see Hogwarts, but Hermione had told them it was alright.  
  
When she left, she gave both of them a hug and cried a bit. Her mother cried as well, but her father didn't, although it looked like he might start at any second. She'd miss them terribly; all her eighteen years in life, she'd been around them every day, except for the terms at Hogwarts, and even then, she'd written them nearly every day.  
  
She promised to come and see them as often as she could after the wedding, and that she'd never forget them, but then she felt she was becoming too sappy, so she finished up with a smile and a joke, before Apparating to Bill's flat.  
  
Bill himself had been retrieving his possessions from the Burrow, since he was definitely moving out. Before, he had only taken the most important things, and left the rest at home, since the Burrow was where he stayed when not in Egypt or somewhere else, working.  
  
He spent the week, between moving out and fending his mother off with a ten foot pole, obsessing over Hermione. He was rather good at that. World- champion in fact. If there was a roll-call for Hermione-obsessive-stalkers, he wouldn't even show up. He'd be obsessing over Hermione.  
  
*****'  
  
Tomorrow, it was the day with a capital D, the wedding day. The wedding dress had been bought, the flower decorations had been ordered, the invitations had been sent. All that remained now was to show up. And of course, the agonizing wait until morning.  
  
Hermione was sitting on the couch in Bill's flat, trying to read the book in her lap, but failing miserably. She was so nervous about tomorrow that she could hardly sit still, much less read. She'd given up after reading the same sentence ten times, and still not taking any of it in.  
  
Bill was out somewhere, doing some last minute work for Gringotts. She had asked what it was, but he'd evaded the questions beautifully, asking her about how her work applications were coming along.  
  
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back against the couch, having been thoroughly bored with the book. Someone suddenly placed their hands over her eyes, and she sat up again with a squeak.  
  
"Bill, is that you?" She asked.  
  
"Damn, how did you know it was me?" Bill asked as he sat down next to her.  
  
"You're the only one, except me, who has the key to this flat, and you're the only one who'd do something like that." She pointed out.  
  
"Right. So, what do you want to do?" He asked, smiling, "Go for a walk?"  
  
"Maybe." She shrugged.  
  
"Eat dinner in a fancy restaurant?" He tried.  
  
"Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt." She said, bored.  
  
"Table tennis?"  
  
She stared at him, searching his face for any trace of insincerity, but found none. He seemed wholly serious.  
  
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" He exclaimed, dissolving into a fit of laughter, "I'm joking! I promise!"  
  
"The scary thing is, I'm not sure if that's the truth." Hermione mumbled.  
  
"Alright. Rent a movie and make sarcastic comments while watching it, utterly ridiculing the actors and/or producer?" He asked, sounding desperate.  
  
"You know, that sound like a good idea. Just one problem; you don't have a VCR." She pointed out.  
  
Bill looked downcast for a moment before he grinned and pulled out his wand. One muttered spell later, a VCR was standing in front of them, together with a brand new television. Hermione blinked, momentarily confused.  
  
"I didn't know you were allowed to do that with magic; I thought you had to buy things like books and such." She commented.  
  
"We do, but to every rule, there's a loophole; I just happened to find it." Bill grinned.  
  
"And what, pray tell, is that loophole, Mr Weasley?" She asked in a mock- stern voice.  
  
"´The Ministry's Defence Sector Employees are allowed to do any spell available to them to carry out their tasks. This includes the professions of Auror, Unmentionable, Reversal of Accidental Magic Squad and Curse- Breakers.´" He quoted, still grinning like a wolf.  
  
"Trust you to come up with something like that. So, are we going to rent that movie, or what?" She asked, getting to her feet and pulling him up as well.  
  
"Dare I venture ´or what´?" He asked, but followed her out the door.  
  
*****'  
  
"You know, we've never really been on a date." Bill said off-handily as they walked towards Muggle London.  
  
"I know. I'm not complaining though; I've never been a ´date´ type of girl." Hermione shrugged.  
  
"I'm glad; I had enough of the giggly, make-up-and-boys talking girls when I was studying to become a Curse-Breaker. They seemed so air-headed. I must say, that was what made me notice you in the first place." He smiled.  
  
"Oh?" She asked, wondering when he'd started to notice her.  
  
"Remember when you stayed at the Burrow before the World Cup?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded.  
  
"Well, most girls that came to our house together with either the Twins, Ginny or Ron were the kind of girls who cared nothing about anything except their looks and how they'd snare the next boy to walk by. You were different. So different that I wondered if you really were fourteen; you were much smarter than any other girl your age, and seemed to be much more mature than they were." He explained, eyes growing a bit misty with the memories.  
  
"Really? You know, that's funny, because the first time I began to pay attention to you was at the World Cup. Remember, you told me about the rules of Quidditch, but I asked you to give up when I didn't get it after the sixth time." She grinned, "I remember thinking that your mother should let off arguing about your hair; I thought it was cute."  
  
"Cute. How sweet, but that isn't really the word normally associated with me and my hair." He seemed a little amused.  
  
"Oh, and what is the word then? Horrible? Untameable? Or simply ugly?" She teased.  
  
"For your information, it has been called cool, sexy and awesome. The Bulgarian bank official at the embassy in Diagon Alley once called it ´cacophony´, but that might have been a mistranslation." He shrugged.  
  
She laughed so hard at that that he had to support her as they walked down the street. He couldn't for his life see what was so funny; a Bulgarian mistranslation and she was laughing like a loon.  
  
"Sorry," She gasped, "But ´cacophony´, one interpretation of it meaning chaos, is what your hair looks like in the morning! But I like it all the same."  
  
"Thank you very much, Ms ´I've-Got-My-hair-Under-Control-At-All-Times´ Granger." Bill shot back, chuckling as well, "But that isn't a very reassuring statement from you."  
  
"Hey, I'm bushy haired, so obviously I should be an expert on bad hair days, right? Therefore, such a statement from me should be reassuring." She pointed out logically.  
  
Silence followed her statement, as Bill thought it over. Hermione spent the silent moment grinning insanely at him, nearly causing him to crack up, but he managed to keep a straight face, and kept his stony silence for a minute or so.  
  
"Damn, you're being logical again; my brain can't take logical." He muttered.  
  
"Of course; I'm born logical." She patted him on the head.  
  
"Opinionated, aren't you?" He laughed.  
  
"No, I'm not opinionated; I'm just always right," She managed tog get out before she collapsed in laughter again.  
  
"Women." He muttered as they struggled on down the street.  
  
Not that he'd do anything to trade this moment. Not ever; it was going to be added to his already large pile of memories about Hermione, which he'd collect and take out when he was old and grey and watch, and smile about, laugh about and even cry about, should there ever come such a moment.  
  
In the relatively short time they'd been together, Hermione had, unknowingly no doubt, changed him greatly. Before he'd met her, he'd been easy-going, always the first to dump a girl should she ever become trouble, but at the same time a little scarred in his trust for others, mainly because of Fleur.  
  
She'd made him trust again, to, without question, let her into his mind and his heart, knowing that she would do nothing to harm him. It was a nice feeling, to know that there was someone that he could trust unconditionally, for whichever reason, and know that they would not even contemplate betraying that trust.  
  
He wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her stand up, as she laughed herself silly over her own comment, doubtlessly because she was overtired. The normal, everyday Hermione would not have broken down in a fit of giggles over a comment like that. She'd have smiled, maybe chuckled a bit, but not all out laughing like she was doing now. But he rather liked her, this way as well.  
  
Of course, in his eyes, Hermione could do no wrong.  
  
*******'  
  
The clerk looked at them curiously as they came and, and Hermione dragged Bill around the shop, suggesting several different movies. It was nearly midnight, but they were still as awake as when they entered, when they finally made their choice. It had taken so long because they couldn't agree on anything.  
  
Hermione would find a movie which she thought was nice, or funny, or generally worth watching, and then she'd suggest it. Bill would then proceed to  
  
The majority (Hermione) had decided on Star Wars (the first movie, episode 4, as it were), simply because it was something everyone had to see at least once in their lives, and because Bill hadn't seen it yet. After a moment's indecision, she added Spaceballs to the list of rented movies. She figured that if he was going to see Star Wars, he might as well see the parody of it.  
  
Bill had trusted her to choose the Muggle movies, but had commented that she really should see the movie about Merlin's life, and shouldn't miss the movie version of Herpo the Foul's biography. Of course, they weren't really movies, but modified Pensives, displayed on a big screen.  
  
Hand in hand they had wandered back to the flat, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of Muggle vs. Wizard movies. Well home, Hermione started the movie, and they sat back on the couch with a bowl of popcorn shared between them, laughing and making insults about the movie, laughing out loud.  
  
Just before Darth Vader made his first appearance on screen, Hermione made an impression of him, hand over her mouth, breathing heavily, speaking in the same raspy voice the movie villain used. Bill laughed, but was nearly rolling on the floor later, when the same Vader pulled his infamous line to Luke Skywalker in the end.  
  
It was nearly morning when they finally fell asleep, half-way through The Guns of Navarone, which Hermione had found in one of her bags, thoroughly exhausted by their movie marathon. The popcorn was long gone, as was the bag of chocolates that Bill had unburied in his kitchen.  
  
Neither gave a thought to the fact that they would probably oversleep the next morning, and be late to their own wedding, and when they finally showed up they would be more or less asleep anyway. At the moment it was enough that they were happy, well-fed, and in each others arms.  
  
*****'  
  
Ending Notes; alright, this has a definite flavour filler-chapter. Why, because it more or less is. I was going to give you the wedding in this one, but decided against it when the movie-marathon scenario popped into my head. Damn plot-bunnies. *mutters darkly*.  
  
As for the scene at the beginning of the chapter...Er, well, to quote a great source of information and plot-bunnies, (even though we promised not to *grins*), I can only say as he did.  
  
"Your sex-scenes are cheesy. Deal with it." - Dethryl's Rules to Fanficion, the Second List.  
  
So, I dealt with it. By not writing it at all. Hopefully, I didn't mess it up too bad. I am also apologizing in advance for the shortness of the chapter, before you have time to point it out. I blame school and FAP.  
  
Other quotes in this chapter have been taking from the Coffee Mug Slogan Thread in Fap, among many other places. 


End file.
